Allt-a-Bhainne 2008 Fàire - Orizzonti di Riccardo Furini 16 yo

 

 

 

52,5°

Distillery : Allt-a-Bhainne - Speyside

Sherry Cask

Independent Bottling 

By Hidden Spirits 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2025

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This is a new series from Hidden Spirits, an independent bottler founded in 2013 by Andrea Ferrari, featuring the works of Italian painter Riccardo Furini. The whisky chosen to launch this collection is an Allt-a-Bhainne that has spent 16 years in a sherry cask, yielding only 105 bottles. The artwork featured on the label is entitled Dauni. 

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is cereal-like, toasted wheat, muesli, malted barley, but it is also airy, damp hay, varnished wood. Some dried fruits, raisins, figs, quince jam and a touch of chutney. Roasted hazelnuts, dark chocolate. On the palate, the sherry is a little more expressive, wild berries set against woody notes, sea buckthorn tea, greengages and a coffee bean. Crunchy cereals, melted spices. A lovely finish, quite long but not quite explosive, cocoa powder, candied orange peel, soft bark, lichen and moss. 

 

In Short, 

It's very interesting, the sherry gives it a slightly austere fruitiness, reminiscent of undergrowth, the distillate is elegant, and the age gives it a beautiful maturity. Unfortunately, the price is a little high for what it is, in my opinion, but fans of this profile will enjoy it. 

Score : 88

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping : 

 

                                           Lucinda Williams - The World's Gone Wrong

Allt-a-Bhainne 2000 Cask Strength Collection New Vibrations 23 yo

 

 

 

51,9°

Distillery : Allt-a-Bhainne - Speyside

1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt

Independent Bottling 

By Signatory Vintage 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated

 

 

 

This is the third bottling among the 4 specially selected by La Maison du Whisky to be part of the Collection New Vibrations, which will therefore be distributed exclusively in France. This is an Allt-a-Bhainne, a little-known Speyside distillery, because it is recent and mainly devoted to blends. It was aged entirely in a first-fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, and 689 bottles were released. Some of Allt-a-Bhainne's production is slightly peaty, between 10 and 20 ppm, but this one was not reported to me as such, and I did not find any peat in it.

 

 

 

Let's Taste It : 

The nose is very rich and really fermented, syrupy, morello cherries and amarena, blackcurrants, damsons, raspberries, dried grapes and candied figs, damp leather, prunes, earthy hints. Slightly full of iodine. On the palate, on the other hand, it's a little smooth, a dash of liquorice, mushrooms and caramelised cooked fruits, but not much else, until the spices kick in, quite violently. The finish is long and strong, with fudge, chocolate, brown tobacco, truffle flakes, apricot jam, ginger and cardamom.

 

In Short, 

This is a very well-made Sherry. However, I was a little disappointed with the palate, which I found a bit insignificant after a very intense nose. Overall, it's more or less a Sherry monster, very intense, where the distillate is discreet. The price is high, but it's on special offer these days, and that's becoming decent.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sipping :

                                           Mike Morgan & The Crawl - Cold Wind

Allt-a-Bhainne 2005 Connoisseurs Choice Cask Strength 17 yo

 

 

 

60,6°

Distillery : Allt-a-Bhainne - Speyside

Refill American Hogshead

Independent Bottling 

By Gordon & MacPhail 

Limited Edition 

Single Cask 

Bottled in 2023

Unchillfiltered, Uncoloured, Cask Strength

Totally Unpeated 

A new distillery for me to discover, and in ideal conditions, as it's through independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, reputed to be one of the greatest, established since 1895, and it's terrible news to know that they're going to stop independent trading in the next few years. Also, the cask used here is a single Refill Hogshead of American oak, so the distillery's character won't be disturbed by foreign flavours. I'll be able to discover its personality. This edition produced 310 bottles.

Let's Taste It : 

A slice of lemon, cake pastry, lemon tart, meringue, shortbread biscuits, mountain honey, a drop of Worcestershire sauce, very light acidity. Candied ginger. Exotic fruits in the background. On the palate, vanilla stands out, vanilla custard, pastry cream, yellow plums, kumquats, coarse cereals, muesli. Discreet spices, like a pleasant tingle. A zest of lemon. Well-crafted, long, biscuity finish, diluted in goat's milk. It's pastry to the end, still lemony and vanilla-flavoured.

In Short, 

Finally, the cask has a noticeable influence, but I'm not complaining. It's very pastry-like, with lots of lemon and vanilla; the distillate must be very light for the cask to take over in this way. In any case, it's a very fine bottling, which will delight fans of this kind of profile. It can still be found here and there at a price that is in line with the current market, which is to say expensive but not unaffordable.

Score : 89

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           To Be Listened While Sippinfg :

 

                                           Karina - Nada es Para Siempre