GlenAllachie Launches White Heather 21 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky
The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, renown for creating award winning single malt and blended malt Scotch whisky, has announced the launch of it’s first-ever blended Scotch whisky: White Heather 21 Year Old.
If White Heather sounds familiar to those that have been drinking Scotch longer than I’ve been alive, it’s because the brand isn’t new – it used to exist as a blended Scotch whisky brand until it was discontinued in the 1980s as the industry consolidated. However, the brand was acquired by The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, led by Walker, in 2017, along with The GlenAllachie Distillery and MacNair’s Lum Reek Blended Malt brand.
To create White Heather 21 Year Old, Billie Walker sourced single malt and grain whiskies from the Highlands, Islay and Speyside. These whiskies spent 18 years maturing in a combination of first-fill American barrels, sherry butts, and second-fill barrels and hogsheads. Walker crafted a unique recipe with a high single malt content, including vintage GlenAllachie, and the blend was then laid down for an additional three year maturation period in a carefully selected mix of Pedro Ximénez puncheons, Oloroso puncheons, and Appalachian Virgin Oak casks.
Bottled at 48% ABV with no added coloring or chill-filtration, White Heather 21 Year Old “perfectly balances gentle peat from Islay, fruity Speyside notes, the heather honeyed sweetness of the Highlands, and a rich and rounded foundation from the grain components.” Official tasting notes describe it as having aromas of “heather honey, butterscotch, peat reek, and a hint of tannins”, with notes of “heather honey, butterscotch, orange peel, soft tannins, peat, and smoke” on the palate.
Limited to only 2,000 bottles worldwide, White Heather 21 Year Old is now shipping to specialist retailers globally and carries a suggested retail price of £120 (~$165).
Photo credit: The GlenAllachie.
Source: theglenallachie.com.