Meikle Tòir 05-year-old

a sample from ronnholt. This obviously needs more time for the distillate and casks to agree on sharing space and function properly together.

Aroma Sweetish peat smoke, chocolate, nuts, leather notes, wood spice, sherry notes The taste Spicy, sherry notes, campfire, astringent, leather, ginger spiciness resonance Medium length, woody spice, astringent Trend towards 86

Very well made whisky that punches way above its 5 years of maturation. Rich, interesting, developing profile. Very high price/quality ratio!

The balance between peat and red fruit/flowers is absolutely amazing in the nose and taste. The finish becomes stronger by the second, yet smooth. GlenAllachie, well done

heavy on sherry, i am not fun of modern sherry and this is not my type of whisky

VFM Whisky

Nose: sweet, slightly sour, cherry, smoke, light spices, wine notes, oak, a hint of marzipan •• Taste: smoke, mineral notes, sweet, slightly spicy oak, cherry, spices, marzipan •• Finish: medium to long, light spicy smoke with oak and cherries remains. The smoke and mineral notes linger longer. •• Conclusion: The nose is interesting but not intrusive. The slightly mineral smoke mixes with sweet cherry and wine notes. The taste has a wood smoke followed by spicy oak. Then come sweet cherry notes and spices. A well-made whisky for its relatively young age.

You can tell that good casks were used here to give the young whisky as much as possible in the short time. Is it gulungen? "Yes and no". The smoke is well integrated and the sherry casks are clearly recognizable. However, everything doesn't seem quite round yet and the complexity is rather low.

Whisky tasting on 2026 02 14 84-

A slightly difficult to access whisky that requires a lot of sensitivity and attention.

Smokey sherry bomb, good vfm for a tasty dram, though personally I prefer the Chinquapin

Far from subtle but quite good ballance between peat and sherry (for 5yo).

Nicele integrated smoke, red fruits, a bit sweet with spices (cinnamon mostly).

Easy drinking malt. Pleasing not overly complex but fine for beginners and as a daily sipper.

Very beautiful peated Glenallachie. Good price/quality ratio.

Amber color. Slight oiliness.

Dried plum, fig, sulfur, chocolate, woody, salty. It is hard to believe this is only five years old given its level of completeness. Sherry influence is clearly expressed through dried plum, fig, and chocolate. A woody character with subtle salinity accompanies a buttery palate where sherry flavors are well pronounced.

Nose-85/100; Taste-85/100; Finish-83/100.

A remarkably satisfying whisky that drinks considerably older than its five years. Blind, I could easily have mistaken this for something approaching 10–15 years old. The interplay of cedar, cigar box, peat smoke, honeycomb, juicy orange and dark chocolate creates an impressive sense of maturity and balance. A fine example of skilful whisky-making and effective cask maturation. Rich, characterful and immensely drinkable, with a particularly enjoyable finish. Excellent quality for its age, and a whisky I'd happily return to. A little water opens things up nicely, making the whisky softer, more relaxed and approachable. It becomes an easier, more effortless dram, although some of the complexity and definition are lost. On balance, probably best enjoyed neat, with water offering an enjoyable alternative.

The last in bourbon and Px finish for a peaty-earthy, waxy, roasted, chocolate nose; the singular taste of macerated, black fruit, smoke, bistre, peppery spices and chestnut honey; the finish with this mixture of soot, pronounced earthy peat and almost burnt macerated fruits.

Much better Whisky than I expected! Pleasant smoky, peaty, chocolatey bitterness, molasses, burnt sugar with a bit of woodiness... I would very much like to taste it as a 15 year old...

Yes, very nice to drink. If you could buy it for €30 it would probably end up in my cupboard as a complete bottle. Simple nose, taste makes the whole a bit more attractive because of the full mouthfeel. The finish is quite short but fine. Complexity: 84 Intensity: 85 Price quality, too high in price in my opinion.

A remarkably robust 5-year-old. The combination of Pinot Noir, Oloroso sherry, 48% ABV, and peat smoke superbly masks its youth. A very compelling GlenAllachie/Meikle Tòir for lovers of smoky sherry whiskies.

Meikle Tòir is the peated whisky from the Glenallachie Distillery. And it is unfinished whisky that was bottled from the casks present when the distillery was purchased - this is whisky distilled under the direction of Billy Walker. Glenallachie is a dark, sherry and cask-focused Speyside whisky. While the other two bottlings also matured in Virgin Oak, this is the classic bourbon and sherry matured whisky. glen-efze.de

Attention, test under allergy sufferers... ;) Smoky in note, some fruit, smoky and fruity in taste (surprise), but very strong

07-09-2024

Color: Amber Character / Style: Fruity & Sherry, Smoky & Sherry Tasting: 2023-11-14 smoky whiskies from Glenallachie

Tasted as part of The Whisky Shop Advent Calendar 2024. Quite characterful, quite good, and without any real sense of youth or heat. Impressive!

The second of the three Meikle Tòirs I’ll be reviewing, this Sherry One reminds me a lot of Kilchoman Loch Gorm. Unlike the other two Meikle Tòirs (The Original and The Chinquapin One), this wasn’t love at first sight. It took me some time to get used to the profile. As a peathead, a whisky with this much sherry masking the peat wasn’t exactly my ideal match at first. But over time, it won me over and has earned my admiration as one of the best sherry-and-peat bombs I’ve tried. Let’s see what it has to offer: Nose: Rich, fruity, sweet, charred, earthy, dirty. It opens with a burst of raisins, figs, red berries, black pepper, cloves, and dark chocolate, alongside piercing notes of lemon peel, all wrapped in an earthy, dirty peat that brings toffee, barbecue sauce, mud, bonfire smoke, and slightly farmy notes. It’s a complex whisky, with plenty of nuances born from the interaction between the rich spirit and the casks: balsamic vinegar, bacon, mint, dried herbs, and liquorice. The balance between the sherry and peat notes is simply outstanding. Palate: Rich, charred, sweet, bright, fruity. It starts with a somewhat excessive dose of ashy bonfire smoke, black pepper, cloves, and a touch of chocolate, before moving into heavily charred bacon covered in raspberry jam, heaps of dirt and wet soil, citrus (lemon), burnt herbs, roasted hazelnuts, and touches of coffee and Coca-Cola. There are also some balsamic and salty nuances. The funky, dirty, earthy spirit character permeates everything. Truly amazing. Oily texture. Finish: Very spicy and sweet, with tons of bonfire smoke and toffee mixed with strawberries and raisins. Red fruit juice, mud, sweet peat, toffee, and coffee. Herbal and nutty nuances. Slightly farmy. The sweet-and-dirty peat profile keeps building with every sip, leaving the mouth coated in an ashy, earthy sensation that I can still recognize even after pouring myself a dram of the next whisky. Honestly, I have no idea how they managed to pack this much flavor into a whisky that’s only five years old. A fruity, dirty, charred, spicy, and meaty sherry-and-peat bomb. As often happens with this style of whisky, the sherry and peat have fused together, creating flavors that can only be found in these kinds of heavily peated sherry-matured drams. The sheer intensity and richness of the flavors more than make up for its relatively limited depth, which is perfectly understandable given its young age. Although it’s the whisky equivalent of a slap in the face, it is by no means resistant to exploration, provided you can tolerate a deeply charred and spicy profile long enough to uncover all the fruit, sweetness, and funky, dirty peat lurking underneath. People often say that explosive, abrasive, bold whiskies appeal more at the beginning of your whisky journey, and that later you learn to appreciate more nuanced and subtle drams. Maybe that’s true, but I’ve never stopped loving these wild, unapologetic monsters. Amazing stuff.

An astonishingly mature and characterful 5-year-old. Particularly interesting to my taste: significantly smokier than classic GlenAllachies, yet with a strong sherry profile. The smoke, PX/Oloroso, and 48% ABV work exceptionally well here – clearly more powerful than its young age would suggest.

Dark yellow. Nose: Light smoke, dark fruit, vanilla and barrel. Taste: Light smoke, sweetness, dark fruit, flat.

Again well done! Pleasantly surprised once more. There is maturity and complexity far beyond 5 years, and not a single off-note

Tasted this at the 2024 Whisky Tasting Festival, so this review is on the compact side of the spectrum… A very tasty dram that I could drink any day of the week, great value for money!

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Punching above its weight.

It's very balanced, subtle, rich in fruit, deep, with figs, chocolate, red fruits, and a fine, silky smoke. Raspberries and blueberries, dried fruits, a touch of charcoal, licorice. Some nuts in the background. It's a bit earthy. The palate is a little light, but pleasant all the same, more fruity, dates, redcurrants, blackcurrants, intense spices, blackberries. Long and beautiful finish, with a measured, fruity explosiveness, rather on dried fruits, grapes, prunes, ferns, undergrowth, tree leaves. It is very successful, like the rest of the range, with a beautiful balance and an elegant subtlety which does not mask a very earthy and country peat. https://ilikesky2020.blogspot.com/2023/11/meikle-toir-5-yo-sherry-one.html

So The Sherry One is my second smoky Glenallachie and I like it better than The Original. Maybe it's because I just love the combination of sherry and smoke. The smoke is very sweet and relaxed and the 48% ABV doesn't hurt at all.

I still like the nose quite a bit. Sherry and smoke harmonize quite well here. But on the tongue...no. Very young. A bit metallic. Has a hint of alcohol. Simply inharmonious. Far too expensive for what is offered.

Smoky, fruity, medium long finish

One of the first Glenallachie expressions distilled under Billy Walker´s control. Barley peated to 35ppm using highland peat, fermented for 160 hours and then aged for 5 years in oloroso and px puncheons (similar capacity than a butt, shorter and wider)

Blind tasting notes Sherry cask N Toasted jammy marmalade, rich raisins, slight peat smoke. Dark fruits cherry, raspberry. Slight salty note. P Chocolate covered raisins, slight hints of cinnamon and toffee. Juicy plums. Lovel medium oily mouthfeel. Quite youthful sharp notes yet not offputiing. Nice finish of raspberry and slightly sour plums. No off notes. Delicious sherry cask

peate shery

For being only 5 years old it's a great whisky, kudos to Billy Walker. The barrel can be felt but does not overpower the distillate, integrating perfectly with it and giving it beautiful notes of tobacco, spices and bitter cocoa

Immature, woody & musty on the nose. Slightly better on the palate. Sweetness and smoke.

The associations are closer to Islay and more likely to Laphroaig and their Laphroaig PX. Even the lack of development is the same! A very phenolic whisky, very unusual for a mainlander! Well, I'm glad for such a dashing expansion of the Glenallache line. Such a range will only help them in their development! Billy, as always, is on top! 21 21 21 21

I liked this one! The whisky with elements of peaty smoke, heavy sherry wine, barley malt, bakery. Taste and general impression are that it is a little bit "heavy" and not so easy to drink but in general I find it interesting and tasty.

Official Tasting Notes

Not bad at all. A bit different to Islay, and better than I expected. 81-85 – Wow, really good one

Nose: The aroma is bright, rich, appetizing, and smoky, with a noticeable sherry profile. Burnt caramel, barbecue sauce, dried apricots, prunes, raisins, grilled meat, balsamic vinegar, menthol notes, charcoal dust, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and astringent tannins. Attractive, no flaws or imperfections, but lacking depth and development. Palate: The palate is bright, slightly fiery, peppery, sweet, and smoky. The peppery wave is followed by an abundance of dried fruit, balsamic vinegar, a caramelized crust of char-grilled steak sprinkled with freshly ground pepper, barbecue sauce, a menthol note, and a noticeable anchoring of young tannins. Finish: Warming, peppery, tannic finish with sweet dried fruits, spices, caramelized steak crust in sauce, sweet spices, and oak bitterness Balance: a young, refined, vibrant, and appetizing smoked sherry whisky. There's smokiness, char, sweetness, and spice with tannins. Everything is fairly harmonious, clear, and delicious, but without much depth or development; the sherry and peat completely dominate the character of the spirits. A worthy result for this age. N22, P22, F21, B20