Meikle Tòir (mee-khul tor), meaning Big Pursuit, is The GlenAllachie Distillery’s journey into peated whisky.
The journey began back in 2018, one year after Master Distiller, Billy Walker, took over The GlenAllachie Distillery. From the start he knew he wanted to venture into peated whisky, and so began the process of producing smoky spirit for the first time in the distillery’s history.
Our peated spirit is unique, however, to that of the a-typical Islay peated whiskies, as Billy decided to use mainland peat from St. Fergus. Using mainland peat offers a different taste to that of island peat due to the fact that it’s formed from the degradation of trees rather than herbs and seaweed, which you don’t get on Islay. This therefore creates a much sweeter smoke style which contributes to the unique flavour of the liquid.
With only 100,000 litres of new-make being produced annually, passion and precision are at the forefront of creating Meikle Tòir. With the mindset of quality over quantity, the whisky is meticulously crafted to meet Billy’s high standards. Focusing on cask-perfecting the liquid and allowing it to mature for five years before release. Being the first core release that Billy has fully overseen since taking over the distillery, it was bound to be a special one.
The five-year age statement is crucial in the flavour of our specialised liquid. As a peated whisky matures, its smoky character mellows and becomes more subtle, so bottling our core range young helps capture the bold and punchy hit of peat smoke. Billy’s philosophy is that peated spirit is at its best between five and eight years old.
Continuing with honesty, integrity and passion at the forefront, as a company, we’re excited to see where the big pursuit takes us…