Reviews of The GlenAllachie Meikle Tòir Peated Whiskeys: The Original, The Chinquapin One, The Sherry One, The Turbo

 

The GlenAllachie (pronounced Glen-Alla-Key) is a relatively new Speyside distillery that's seen many ownership changes in its 54 years. Founded in 1967, The GlenAllachie has been open, closed, mothballed, reopened, used for strictly blends for Chivas Bros., then sold off in 2017 to its current owners, The GlenAllachie Distillers Company, run by Billy Walker, Trisha Savage, and Graham Stevenson. Walker is its current Master Blender.

 

The GDC completely revamped things with a plan to release whiskies bottled at no less than 46% ABV and are both naturally colored and non-chill filtered. It also allows 160 hours of fermentation time, claiming it gives them additional time to study what's in the tank. The campus is home to 16 warehouses holding 50,000 barrels of whisky!

 

The thing about Speyside distilleries is that, while not unknown, producing peated Speyside whiskies is uncommon. I’ve reviewed a handful and yet to be disappointed. But it takes talent, and that’s something Billy has plenty of. He and The GlenAllachie have just introduced its Meikle Tòir whisky line; it has been in the making since 2018 but is only now coming to age. Meikle Tòir means “big pursuit.”

 

One of the things I love about The GlenAllachie is its transparency. It goes beyond what I consider above and beyond what many do. For example, the Meikle Tòir whisky line utilizes a Laureate barley strain and damp, mainland peat from St. Fergus. Henshead water is used for processing and Blackstank water for cooling. It relies on Liquid Distillers Yeast for fermentation… and that’s just the beginning. Feel free to hit up GlenAllachie’s website if you want to geek out!

 

There are currently four Meikle Tòir expressions: The Original, The Chinquapin One, The Sherry One, and The Turbo. We’ll tackle each in today’s no-strings-attached, honest review. I thank The GlenAllachie’s USA-importer, ImpEx Beverages, Inc., for providing me with these samples.

 

To avoid redundancy, I tasted each of these neat from a clean Glencairn glass.

 

Meikle Tòir The Original

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Peat: 35ppm
• Age: 5 years
• Cooperage: A combination of first-fill Bourbon barrels, American Virgin Oak casks, and Rye barrels
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Non-Chill Filtered, Naturally Colored
• Price: $75.00 for a 700ml

  

Appearance: The golden liquid formed a medium rim with wide-spaced, thick tears.

 

Nose: I could smell the peat before bringing it near my face. It was more woodfire than anything else. There were notes of vanilla, honey, coffee, and nuts. When I drew the air through my lips, I found roasted almonds.

 

Palate: The thin, oily mouthfeel offered a taste of smoky peat, honey, and vanilla on the front of my palate. The middle consisted of hazelnuts, chocolate (think Nutella), and brown sugar. On the back, I tasted candied ginger, butterscotch, and oak.

 

Finish: Long and lingering, the finish retained the smoky peat, butterscotch, candied ginger, and oak tannin. It left some sizzle on the tip of my tongue.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The Original is one of those peated Speyside Scotches that make me drool. If you think you hate peat because it tastes like seaweed, burnt rubber, or medicinal, The Original will be a game-changer. This was a nearly perfect pour, priced right, and earned every little bit of my Bottle rating.  

 

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Meikle Tòir The Chinquapin One

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Peat: 35ppm
• Age: 5 years
• Cooperage: Chinquapin Virgin Oak barrels sourced from the Northern Ozark region
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Non-Chill Filtered, Naturally Colored
• Price: $75.00 for a 700ml

 

If you’re like me and have no clue what Chinquapin means, it is the name for several trees that grow edible nuts, generally chestnuts.

 

Appearance: The Chinquapin One possessed a golden hue. The thin rim discharged quick, thick tears.

 

Nose: The smoky, peaty aroma introduced me to smells of honey, toffee, orange zest, and chocolate. Pulling the air into my mouth, I found smoky chocolate.  

 

Palate: The thin, silky texture brought sweet peat to the front of my palate, along with chocolate and almonds. Think of a smoked Hershey’s with Almonds chocolate bar. Sure, there’s no such thing, but that hit my mind. At the middle were cocoa powder, roasted hazelnuts, and vanilla beans. The back included oak tannins, cinnamon spice, and nutmeg.

 

Finish: The medium duration featured oak, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and smoked almonds.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The Chinquapin One has a single fault: a finish that doesn’t stick around. Just as I got into really enjoying my sipping experience, it vanished. Otherwise, this was a genuinely delicious pour. Is it worth the $75.00? Even with my complaint, the answer is a definitive yes. Chalk up another Bottle rating.  

 

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Meikle Tòir The Sherry One

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Peat: 35ppm
• Age: 5 years
• Cooperage: Pedro Ximénez & Oloroso Sherry puncheons
• Alcohol Content: 48% ABV (96°)
• Non-Chill Filtered, Naturally Colored
• Price: $75.00 for a 700ml

 

Appearance: The deep, brown amber generated a medium rim with thick, watery tears.

 

Nose: An aroma of light peat tickled my nostrils while raisins, plums, brown sugar, roasted nuts, and tobacco leaves snuck past. When I took that vapor into my mouth, I encountered raw honey.

 

Palate: The texture was incredibly silky. The peat was subtle; raisins and plums were on the front, while honey, figs, and dates controlled the middle. The back was nutty, with fudge and orange zest.

 

Finish: The finish parked and idled on my tongue and throat. The raisins, plums, honey, orange zest, figs, and chocolate could have been ticketed for loitering.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: If you don’t know what Pedro Ximénez sherry aging does to whisky, you must investigate it. It is like casting a spell with Elfin's magic! There were layers of flavors that slowly transformed as the whisky crossed the zones of my palate. This was an experience I didn’t want to end; I would grab a Bottle of The Sherry One if I saw it on the shelf, no questions asked.

 

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Meikle Tòir The Turbo

 

• Mashbill: 100% malted barley
• Peat: 71ppm
• Age: 5 years
• Cooperage: a combination of three American Virgin Oak casks and five Oloroso hogsheads
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Non-Chill Filtered, Naturally Colored
• Price: $75.00 for a 700ml

 

Appearance: The Turbo was several shades darker than The Sherry One. A fragile rim shed wavy, thick tears.

 

Nose: Ancient leather, tobacco, almonds, honey, orange citrus, and smoky peat wafted from my glass. Chocolate danced across my tongue when I sucked that air into my mouth.

 

Palate: The Turbo had a light, airy texture. Flavors of dates, caramel, and coffee hit the front of my palate. I tasted hazelnuts, roasted almonds, and cocoa midway through, with smoky peat, charred oak, and nutmeg on the back.    

 

Finish: The long, intense finish featured smoky peat, caramel, coffee, and hazelnut.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: With twice as many phenols as the other three expressions, The Turbo seems aggressive on paper, but that doesn’t translate to the palate. Instead, the smoky peat was complimentary to the different flavors. I tried to drag out this session as long as possible and was sad when my glass was empty. I would unquestionably give The Turbo my Bottle rating.   

 

Final Thoughts: The Meikle Tòir collection is, overall, stunning. Yeah, for a five-year-old series of whiskies, it is pricy. However, there is a difference between cost and value. You’re not going to care about its age. You’ll pat yourself on the back for getting a tremendous bang for the buck. I don’t believe you can go wrong with any one of the quartet. Still, if I had to place these in order, it would be The Sherry One, The Original, The Turbo, and The Chinquapin One. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.