Meikle Toir 5 yo The Sherry One - Heavily Peated GlenAllachie

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 48% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Meikle Tòir The Sherry One brings together mainland peat and two types of sherry cask. The whisky first matures in American oak ex-bourbon Barrels before further ageing in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry Puncheons. This cask combination adds dark fruit, chocolate and coffee to the sweet smoke. The single malt matures for a total of five years.

The peat comes from St. Fergus on the Scottish mainland and gives a sweet character reminiscent of wood smoke. The Sherry One has a spirit phenol content of 35 PPM; this figure refers to the spirit rather than the malted barley. A fermentation time of 160 hours encourages a fruity, ester-rich character that combines with the smoke and sherry cask influences.

The whisky is bottled at 48%, without chill filtration or added colouring. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging. Its illustration is the work of Scottish artist Iain McIntosh and depicts the landscape around the distillery, including Ben Rinnes.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: On the nose, cedarwood and cigar box combine with butterscotch, mocha and orange peel. Honey and plum jam add subtler sweet and fruity accents.
• Palate: The palate opens with bold dark chocolate, smoky honey and mocha. Fig syrup, dark sugar syrup and burnt sugar follow.
• Finish: Peat smoke lingers on the finish, accompanied by dark syrup pudding and gentle oak spice.

Distillery/Bottler:

Meikle Tòir is the peated single malt brand of Speyside distillery The GlenAllachie. Billy Walker took over the distillery in 2017 and began seasonal production of peated whisky with his team in 2018. Introduced in 2023, the range comprises his first permanent releases whose production he has overseen in full since the takeover. The Gaelic name Meikle Tòir broadly means “great endeavour”.

Peated production takes place for around six weeks each year and yields approximately 100000 litres of pure alcohol. For the brand, Walker uses mainland peat, extended fermentation and carefully selected maturation casks. This creates a distinct smoky range within The GlenAllachie, in which the spirit’s fruity foundation is just as important as its peat character.

Facts: