In 2018, peated spirit was produced for the first time at GlenAllachie. Immediately after the distillery it was taken over by Billy Walker, he set his sights on smoky whisky. Meikle Tòir, which means big pursuit, is effectively the first core release entirely overseen by him since he took ownership in 2017.
They choose a lengthy 160-hour fermentation period and mainland peat from St. Fergus in order to get a sweet smoky profile. Production takes place for around six weeks per year.
There are four variations. The first three are all peated to 35 ppm phenols while the Turbo edition goes up to 71 ppm. All of them are 5 years of age. We start with The Original, a composition of first-fill bourbon barrels, virgin oak and rye barrels.
Meikle Tòir 5 yo – The Original (50%, OB 2023)
Nose: heathery smoke and smouldering ashes up front, with nutmeg and cinnamon. Crushed black peppercorns. Hints of vanilla in the background, with smoked almond and roasted hazelnuts. Hints of cold coffee.
Mouth: sweet, rather rounded peat indeed. A lot of warming bonfire ashes, mixed with honey and hints of cocoa. Then hints of treacle, gingerbread and caramelized hazelnuts. It gets richer and more chocolatey towards the end. The young age is hardly noticeable.
Finish: long, with sweet ashes, baking spice and a little cocoa.
A nice surprise. This has great bonfire notes and a cocoa sweetness that works really well. It exceeds my expectations, this is good value for money. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Master of Malt among others.
The next one is finished in Chinquapin virgin oak barrels. This wood type is sourced from the Ozarks in Missouri (USA). We’ve seen it in GlenAllachie releases before.
Meikle Tòir 5 yo – The Chinquapin One (48%, OB 2023)
Mouth: quite vibrant, seemingly lighter or narrower than The Original in my opinion. It is more focused on candied ginger, marmalade and aniseed. There’s a hint of lightly burnt vanilla pastry in the end, but it’s not as generous as the first one.
Finish: rather long, on heathery smoke, baking spice and char.
Surprisingly the Chinquapin oak seems to add very little. Instead it makes the whisky more vertical, with less warmth. Good, and certainly not overoaked like some other virgin oak expressions, but overshadowed by The Original. Available from The Whisky Exchange or TyndrumWhisky among others. Score: 82/100
Meikle Tòir 5 yo – The Sherry One (48%, OB 2023)
Mouth: plenty of warming peat again, with a subtle fruity sourness of plums, orange peels and raisins. Chocolate and blackcurrants. Then caramelized nuts and sweet barbecue ashes.
Finish: long, nicely roasted, with hints of coffee and forest fruits.
Overall the Oloroso and PX puncheons are quite balanced and the peat is big enough to keep the upper hand. For a 5 year-old this is complex and rewarding. My favourite so far. Available from The Whisky Exchange or Royal Mile Whiskies among others. Score: 86/100
We end this quartet with The Turbo. It is more heavily peated and it comes from 3 virgin oak casks and 5 Oloroso hogsheads. It also gets the slightly higher ABV of The Original.
Meikle Tòir 5 yo – The Turbo (50%, OB 2023, 2500 btl.)
Mouth: treacle, sweet coffee candy, with dried fruits and roasted almonds. Then hints of chestnut and crème brûlée. Black peppercorns. More espresso in the end.
Finish: long, on coffee, toffee and rich bonfire ashes.
Here the balance is just right. Peat, spice and sherry getting the same attention. It certainly punches above its weight if you take the age into account. This is limited and apparently also popular: it is sold out in the common places. Score: 88/100