First thing you might notice here is the age statement, so I’ll say it straight away – this is more complex and composed than any five-year-old single malt should be. Crafted at Glenallachie by legendary distiller Billy Walker, the entire Meikle Toir range is top flight, but The Sherry One is a cut above the rest. The master of peated Speyside malt nails it here in his expert application of the PX and Oloroso casks. Take a moment with the stunning orange/amber color, then dive into the dark, well-defined nose of rich cocoa dust, chocolate pudding, Aleppo pepper, spicy jerky, and spiced orange peel. Treacle, coconut, crème brulée, and subtle peat smoke all make an appearance too. The palate is just as head-turning with a dark fruit character that’s absent from the nose – blackberry, plum, and blueberry – followed by dense Oloroso tones. Burnt sugar, café mocha, toasted pistachio, and that same persistent dark fruit core all the way through. Incredibly opulent yet balanced, the finish is all intensity, drawn out into a long, slow-burning finale.
94 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Dec 2024)
Chocolate brownie, smoked orange disc, ground cumin, mild smoked paprika, gentle peat smoke, and a dusting of cocoa on the nose of this gem of a whisky matured in Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry puncheons. On the palate, dark chocolate slides in with smoke, blackberry, burnt sugar, treacle, espresso, maple-coated pecans, and sizzling spices. Melted chocolate, peat smoke, plum skins, and baked orange on the finish.
93 points, Jonny McCormick, Whisky Advocate (Spring 2024)
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