Allt-a-Bhainne 2009/2024 - 15 yo - Madeira Wine Barrique - Murray McDavid

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 53.2% | Chill filtration: No

Special Features:

This Allt-a-Bhainne single malt whisky combines initial maturation in a bourbon hogshead with a five-year finish in first-fill Madeira wine barriques from Justino's. Distilled in 2009, it was bottled in autumn 2024 at 15 years old for Murray McDavid's Benchmark range. The extended finishing period in wine casks adds depth and complexity to the fruity Speyside malt.

Its character brings together fruit and honeyed malt with baking spices, toffee and various oak notes. Toasted almond emerges on the finish. The limited selection yielded 1,258 bottles at 53.2%; the whisky has no added colouring and is not chill-filtered.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, dried fruit and honey-sweet malt mingle with charred oak notes.
• Palate: On the palate, poached pear and toffee meet baking spices.
• Finish: The finish reveals toasted almonds and gentle, sweet oak notes.

Distillery/Bottler:

Chivas Brothers built Allt-a-Bhainne in 1975 on the slopes of Ben Rinnes, between Dufftown and Glenlivet. Its particularly fruity and fragrant spirit was intended to supply malt whisky for the company's blends, including Chivas Regal. The distillery remains part of Chivas Brothers' production network within the Pernod-Ricard group. It also produced the single malt in this bottling.

Murray McDavid was founded in 1994 by London wine merchants Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin, together with Gordon Wright of Springbank Distillery. Their wine expertise informed their cask selection: maturation and finishing in different casks, particularly those previously used for wine, became a focus of the independent bottler. Today, Murray McDavid belongs to Aceo Ltd. and operates from the former Coleburn Distillery in Speyside. For this Allt-a-Bhainne, the company was responsible for cask selection, the Madeira finish and bottling.

Facts: