Glenallachie 1972 Douglas Laing 38 Year Old Sherry Cask

Glenallachie distillery was built by Mackinlays in 1967 to meet the demands of its blends following an upturn in sales in the US. In its short history it has passed through the hands of Invergordon Distillers and Pernod-Ricard. During this period the focus was always on the provision of blends, with over 20 years between the first Mackinlay’s distillery bottlings of its single malt and the next official release from Chivas Brothers in 2005. Now in the hands of Billy Walker and being pushed as a single malt brand since 2017, prior to this, the only real opportunity to try Glenallachie was through sought after independent bottlings like this.

This whisky was distilled in March 1972 and laid to rest in sherry butt #6880 for 38 years before being bottled by Douglas Laing as part of the Old Malt Cask series.

Douglas Laing & Co was established in 1948 by Fred Douglas Laing, affectionately known as “FDL.” The company started out as a blending business, but over time their focus shifted towards independently bottlings single malts. Fred died in 1982, leaving the business to his two sons, Stewart and Fred Jr, who eventually carved it up in 2013, with Stewart leaving to establish Hunter Laing. Fred Jr and his daughter Cara now run Douglas Laing, which continues to bottle single malt and has also revived its blending business. Additionally, the company has recently moved into distilling as well, announcing plans to construct the new Clutha distillery in Glasgow, and taking over Strathearn in Perthshire in 2019.

The Old Malt Cask series is one of the most established independent labels on the market. It was launched by Douglas Laing in 1998 and bottled by them until 2013 when the brand became part of the Hunter Laing portfolio instead.

One of 302 bottles.