GlenAllachie Distillery Visit

Last October I returned once more to run the Dramathon 10K. This time there were no storm warnings, so a weight lifted off my shoulders and I could finally run again along the road beside the River Spey.

Visiting a whisky distillery is a must whenever I go to Scotland. With limited time I could only visit one—ideally nearby and reachable by public transport—but the buses are so infrequent that careful planning was essential: which bus to take, the distillery tour time, and the return-bus schedule.

That day I also had to pick up my race pack in Dufftown, so every minute counted.

I took the No. 36 bus from Elgin toward Dufftown, got off at Aberlour, then walked two miles—about 30 minutes—to reach the only distillery I would tour on this trip: GlenAllachie.

Compared with many distilleries that boast a century or more of history, GlenAllachie is relatively young. Founded in 1967, it briefly closed in the 1980s and was bought in 2017 by renowned whisky maker Billy Walker, who gave the distillery a complete makeover as it entered its 50th year.

Four years ago their 10‑year‑old Cask Strength Batch 4 put them on the map, and their core 12‑year‑old recently won World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards, attracting much attention.

Since Billy Walker took over, he not only brought awards but also sharply reduced production to improve quality. With four stills, the distillery now produces roughly one million liters a year. Nestled at the foot of Ben Rinnes, its water source is the mountain streams—truly a place of clear hills and pure water. After more than a hundred hours of fermentation and subsequent distillation, the spirit goes into casks; on the day I visited I saw many French wine-region barrels, including Margaux. It’s now common for many whisky makers to use various wine casks, so this felt natural.

Before the tour I had a dram of the distillery‑exclusive 17‑year‑old in the on-site bar. Over the course of the visit I tasted six drams in total, and even though I had a race the next day, I set all concerns aside.

The tasting included four samples: starting with the entry‑level 12‑year finished in Sauternes casks, followed by a 7‑year finished in Hungarian wine casks—both leaning toward sweet, aromatic styles—then two hand‑fill releases from the distillery, plus an extra pour from the distillery manager. Meikle Toir is another line from the distillery: Billy Walker personally likes peated whisky but didn’t want that smoky profile to be presented under the GlenAllachie name, hence the separate label.

Before leaving I bought a PX‑cask hand‑fill from the distillery shop. Nearly a year later I still haven’t opened it; perhaps I’ll wait for the right moment and the right people to share the joy I felt in Scotland.

The return walk was another two miles through pastoral fields, the wind bending the hardy grasses; I kept looking ahead to the road before me.

I can condense this into a punchy social caption or a polished travel‑blog piece—reply “caption” or “blog” to choose.

上年十月，再一次因為參加Dramathon 10K比賽而來，這次沒有風暴警告，終於放下心頭大石，得以再次在River Spey旁邊的路上奔馳。

參觀威士忌酒廠，是每一次到訪蘇格蘭必然要做的事，時間有限，只能去一間，當然是在區內，而且是可以乘坐公共交通工具前往的酒廠，但巴士的班次實在太疏落，所以出發之前，計劃要周詳，坐那一班巴士，參加酒廠tour的時間，還有回程的巴士時間。

當日我還要去到Dufftown拿選手包，所以每一分一秒也很珍貴。

從Elgin坐36號開往Dufftown巴士，在Aberlour下車，仍需要步行兩哩路，需時30分鐘，來到我這次旅程，唯一一間參觀的酒廠 - Glenallachie。

與其它坐擁百多年歷史的酒廠相比，Glenallachie相對較為年青，1967年創立，於80年代曾經關閉一段短時間，去到2017年，被著名威士忌釀酒大師Billy Walker買入，從此為這個當時踏入50周年的酒廠改頭換面。

四年前它們已著10yo Cask Strength Batch 4登頂，開始受到不少人注視，它們的基本款12yo，在今年World Whiskies Awards，拿下World's Best Single Malt的佳績。

Billy Walker入主之後，除了為酒廠帶來獎項之外，更將生產量大幅減低，務求提高出品的質素，酒廠的四個蒸餾器，現時年產大約100萬公升左右，身處Ben Rinnes的山腳，釀製威士忌的水源，當然是沿用從山上河流的水，名符其實的山明水秀，經過百多小時發酵，蒸餾之後入桶，當日所見不乏法國名區的葡萄酒桶，像Margaux之類，現時不少威士忌廠都沿用不同類型的葡萄酒桶，其實也見怪不怪。

連同入場之前，在酒廠的酒吧喝了一杯酒廠限定的17yo，這個旅程，總共喝了六杯，就算第二日要比賽，一切也拋諸腦後。

試酒環節包四杯，由入門的12yo蘇玳桶開始，接連是7yo匈牙利酒桶，兩款的風格偏向甜美芳香，最後是兩款酒廠handfill版本，與及酒廠經理額外送多一杯，Meikle Toir是酒廠另一條線，因為Billy Walker本人喜歡泥煤威士忌，但不想將這種風味以GlenAllachie之名展現，所以有此一舉。

臨走之前，我在酒廠的精品店，斟了一瓶PX桶handfill回來，相隔接近一年的今日，仍未捨得打開，可能真的要等某些情合某些人，才會與我一起分享這份我在蘇格蘭感受過的喜悅。

回程又要行兩哩路，沿路是田園，風中下的勁草，我繼續仰望前路。

Talk about the new whiskies I’ve recently tried

When it comes to whisky, Hong Kong drinkers mostly stick to Scotch or Japanese bottles. Beyond those two main countries, I was invited last week to a Premium Whisky Tasting in Tasmania, where about ten distilleries poured nearly 30 Tasmanian whiskies. Tasmania is an island south of mainland Australia and now hosts more than 60 distilleries. Its pure water and larger temperature swings during maturation—greater than Scotland’s—have become defining features of the region’s whisky style.

I tasted many expressions that day; the ones that left the deepest impressions were:

Old Kempton Distillery (Tasmania)

Old Kempton Single Malt — The Old Stables (40.5% ABV) is very approachable, with rich malt character accompanied by dried fruit and dried-flower notes. The pear-cask influence is clear and everything feels well balanced. This expression was finished in pear casks and also matured in Pinot Noir wine barrels, which is unusual.

Old Kempton Cask Strength — The Coachhouse (60% ABV) followed the Old Stables. The cask-strength version bursts with aromatic intensity: concentrated malt, chocolate, dried fruit and toffee—many complex layers—and a very long finish.

Hellyer’s Road Distillery (Tasmania)

Hellyer’s Road American Oak 20 Year Old Single Cask (52.8% ABV) — the 20‑year American‑oak single cask was presented in an eye‑catching wooden box. On the nose it shows fruit—Australian peach—and floral notes; on the palate it is full-bodied and the finish is very long. It’s rich yet elegant, more refined than a typical bourbon‑cask profile, thanks to high‑quality casks and long maturation (photo included). According to the distillery, over 90% of their stocks are aged 20 years or more in Australia, so it’s no surprise they can release multiple 20‑year expressions.

Lawrenny Estate Distillery (Tasmania)

Lawrenny Homestead Triple Cask Single Malt (41.5% ABV) uses American and French casks and offers tropical fruit and floral aromas. It’s very easy to drink; beyond the fruit you can sense sherry‑cask caramel and later cherry/red‑fruit notes from the bourbon cask (photo included). Lawrenny is the island’s only distillery that grows its own barley and is one of the few single‑malt producers in the world that controls the process from its own fields to the bottle. The distillery is very new but clearly carving its own path rather than copying Scottish styles. The founder told me Lawrenny has already launched in Taiwan and will appear in select high‑end APITA stores in Hong Kong before Christmas—definitely one to watch.

Beyond Tasmanian whisky, I also joined the HKTDC International Wine & Spirits Fair trade tour last week. After last year’s reduction in spirits duty, Chinese producers have been very active at trade shows, promoting local spirits including baijiu, sauce‑aroma baijiu, and huangjiu. An interesting example is Tsingtao: while many know the brewery for beer, Tsingtao has also launched a whisky brand. In 2022 they entered a new phase, aiming to create high‑quality Chinese whisky. At the HKTDC fair they poured several expressions—sherry cask, bourbon cask, and Mongolian oak (the Japanese term is Mizunara). I tried Tsingtao’s single malt and was pleasantly surprised: very approachable, with the pear‑cask character Hong Kong drinkers like and a fragrant oak presence. Reportedly it won gold in the spirits (whisky) category at the 2024 Frankfurt International Spirits Competition.

Speaking with Tsingtao’s whisky marketing rep, they said the distillery now offers guided tours by appointment in Qingdao, making it one of the closest whisky‑tour options to Hong Kong. Tsingtao also plans to launch in Hong Kong next year.

講威士忌，香港酒友最主流喝的都是蘇格蘭 或 日本威士忌，除了這兩個主流國家，上星期應邀到業界塔斯文尼亞 (Tasmania) 舉辦的 Premium Whisky Tasting, 當中有大约 10間酒廠，接近 30 款塔斯文尼亞威士忌酒款試飲，塔斯馬尼亞是位於澳洲南面一塊島嶼, 目前有超過60個蒸餾廠. 水質純淨, 、熟成時有著比蘇格蘭更大的溫差變化，成為此地的製酒特色。(有圖)

本人當天試飲了在場酒廠多款威士忌酒款, 以下其中較深刻

Old Kempton Distillery (Tasmania)

Old Kempton single malt whisky the old stables 40.5% A.b.v 是一款易入口, 濃郁的麥芽味道 , 伴隨著乾果同乾花香. 雪梨桶味,各方面好協調。這款酒用了雪梨桶, 還有黑皮諾葡萄酒桶(Pinot Noir) 熟成 ,很特別.

Old Kempton Cask Strength Whisky The Coachhouse 60% A.b.v. 試完前一款the old stables 後, 再試這一款原酒 , 能感到芳香撲鼻香氣, 入口濃郁的麥芽味道 , 朱古力, 水果乾, 太妃糖味 好多層次複雜, 餘韻極長. (有圖)

Hellyer’s Road Distillery (Tasmania)

Hellyer’s Road American Oak 20 Year Old Single Cask 52.8% A.b.v. 試了它的 20 年美國波本橡木桶, 酒木盒包裝精美, 十分吸睛. 從Nose有水果味, 澳洲桃, 花香味, 入口威士忌醇厚, 餘韻極長, 味道濃郁但優雅. 比起一般傳統美國桶更優雅, 來自優質木桶及陳年熟成. (有圖)

翻查酒廠資料, Hellyer’s Road Distillery 原來擁有超過九成以上在澳洲20年以上陳年威士忌, 難怪酒廠可以出產多款20年以上威士忌.

Lawrenny Estate Distillery (Tasmania)

Lawrenny Estate Distillery Homestead Triple Cask Single Malt whisky 41.5%

這款酒用上了美國及法國桶, 有熱帶水果及花香氣. 好易入口, 除了水果味, 也可以感受雪莉桶的焦糖味，波本桶隨後的櫻桃紅果味。 (有圖)

Lawrenny Distillery 是全島唯一使用自種大麥的酒廠，亦是世界上少數僅有從自家麥田到瓶子的單一麥芽威士忌酒廠. 此蒸餾廠非常新，但明顯有走出自己的路而不是複製貼上蘇格蘭威士忌，蒸餾廠負責人說台灣已推出, 香港今年聖誕節前也會在一些高級百貨超市 APITA 推出, 值得期待。

除了塔斯文尼亞威士忌, 另外上星期也参加了香港貿發局國際美酒展業界導賞團. 在去年減免烈酒稅加持下, 大家可見在各大酒展, 不乏各中國酒廠大推中國烈酒, 包括中國白酒 , 醬香型白酒及黃酒等

有趣的是青島啤酒, 大家可能聽過也飲過. 但其實除左啤酒, 青島酒廠也有出威士忌品牌. 係2022年, 進入了全新的时代，打造了中國人自己的高品質威士忌. 青島酒廠在貿發局國際美酒展, 安排了其中幾款威士忌試飲. 包括有雪莉威士忌 (sherry cask),波本桶 (Bourbon cask) 及 蒙古檪橡木桶 (日本出產的叫水楢木桶 Mizunara cask). 個人試了它的青島單一麥芽威士忌, 有驚喜, 好易入口, 是港人喜歡的雪梨木桶,木桶味好香. 據報在2024法蘭克福國際大獎賽, 榮獲金獎大賽烈酒(威士忌)類別最佳酒款 (有圖)

同青島威士忌營銷代表閒談, 他們現在青島也有提供威士忌廠導賞團, 可供客人預約參觀, 可算是距離香港最近之一. 青島威士忌也表示計劃明年在港推出.