Allt-A-Bhainne is located in the Southern part of the central Speyside region, south of Dufftown and just north of the origin of one of the streams that feed the river Lossie. It was the fourth distillery built by Seagram's and like I already mentioned its main purpose was supplying malt whisky for the Chivas Regal blends. The single pair of stills was doubled in 1989. The distillery seems to be one of the most efficient distilleries in Scotland; I've been told a single person can run the entire distillation process. The logistical side of things isn't very traditional either; the fresh spirit is transported by tanker trucks to Keith where it is casked and stored.

Well... Every dog has its day, so I suppose there could be some
good casks of Allt A'Bhainne lying about. That being said, when I
write this (December 2005) I haven't found any. Of the four IB's
I've tried so far only one struggled to reach 'above average' (77).

The name Allt A Bhainne (sometimes spelled as Allt-A-Bhainne or
Allt A' Bhainne) is Gaelic and means something like 'Burn of Milk'.
Ever since the distillery was built in 1975 its main focus has been
supplying malt whisky that ended up in the Chivas Regal blends.
Strangely enough, I do have a soft spot for some older Chivas
Regal blends (the RS!) but I really don't care for the single malt.

As you can see from the picture at the top of this page Allt A Bhainne
is a fairly modern looking distillery - hardly surprising since it was built
as recently as 1975. The vents on the roof, depicted in the detail shot
at the right, are one of Allt A Bhainne's most distinguishing features.

In 2001 Pernod Ricard bought Allt A' Bhainne, Braeval, Benriach, Caperdonich and Glen Keith. Unfortunately they promptly mothballed it a year later in 2002, but the distillery was restarted again on the 27th of May 2005. In itself, the resurrection of ANY malt whisky distillery in Scotland is a joyous occasion, but I can't help but wonder why they chose Allt A Bhainne over Braeval here.

Well, I'm afraid none of the versions I've tried so far inspired me to make excessive tasting notes.
Not too surprising if you know that two expressions ended up in the 70's and two in the 50's...

Allt-A-Bhainne 9yo (58.8%, Cadenhead)
Nose: No notes, sorry
Taste: No notes, sorry
Score: 75 points - an average score

Allt-A-Bhainne 1989/1999 (50%, John Milroy Millennium Selection, oak casks, 70cl)
Nose: Oily and smoky. Sweetish. Eucalyptus. Tea? Rich; opens up even more after a minute.
The aroma grows 'fresher' over time. The slightly higher proof gives it a nice punch. Very likeable.
Taste: Malty. Slightly oily as well. Sweetish at 50%. Seems much 'thinner' when diluted, but still sweet.
Score: 77 points - I wouldn't go as far as actively recommending it, but it's quite pleasant, actually.

Allt-A-Bhainne 12yo (43%, James McArthur Fine Malt Selection, 75cl)
Nose: Strange! A bit chemical with a first impression of eucalyptus. Flowery? Lightly sweet.
A memory of peat. Yes, I know that sounds strange, but there is the slightest trace of peat.
Taste: Soft start. Sweet and malty. The finish is soft and short, almost watery. Needs more proof?
Not a lot of character on the palate, which is a shame because the nose is actually quite unique.
Score: 70 points - which is at the bottom end of the 'average' section on my Hit List - disappointing.

Allt-A-Bhainne 16yo 1985/2001 (50%, Douglas Laing OMC, 5cl)
Nose: Oy... Oily and a little bit sour. Old sweat. Stale beer? Then a hint of smoke emerges.
Something metallic. Veggy. Cheap white wine. Toothpaste. This is not my cup of tea at all!
Taste: Weak, flat start. Improves a little in the centre. Gritty, uninspired finish. Very odd.
Score: 56 points - A major disappointment, I'm afraid. Stewart Laing told me once that he and his brother sample everything themselves and stand by every bottling they release. It seems their noses are honed to perfection when it comes to picking out excellent Ardbegs, but if you ask me they made a boo-boo with this one. Maybe veganists will like this, but I can't imagine this ending up in any of the maniacs' top 10. Or top 100 for that matter.

Allt-A-Bhainne 18yo 1980/1999 (43%, Signatory Vintage, Cask #19000, D22/10/'80, B11/8/'99)
Additional details: They produced 2450 botles - I wonder if they were all 5cl miniatures like this.
Nose: Very grassy, followed by soft menthol notes. Growing oiliness. Dentist? Metallic. Veggy.
Citrus? Yes, it grows fruitier with time. Not that 'likeable', but quite interesting, I must say.
Taste: Sweetish start. Fairly flat. Little development. Dull. Rough. Weak, bitter finish.
Score: 52 points - the interesting development in the nose keeps it (just) above 50 points.

And that's it for now.
I really have little further to add at this point.

As you can gather from the notes so far, I'm not inclined to recommend Allt A Bhainne to anybody.
Not at this point anyway. It's a 'requirement' for anal completists like myself who want to try one or more expressions from each distillery in Scotland, but right now it seems like this malt is little more than an 'ingredient' for blends. Once again I suspect that wood management had a very low priority in the past. That may have changed with the new ownership and the restart, but it will be many years until the new product is on the shelves.

For now, Allt A Bhainne is one of the very few active distilleries in Scotland I'm not inclined to investigate further, unless something special crosses my path, of course...
 
 

Based on my experiences so far I'd have to classify the product of Allt A Bhainne as mediocre at best. I imagine that up until now they simply haven't paid much attention to wood management at the distillery. Braeval (a.k.a. Braes of Glenlivet), on the other hand, has produced some beautiful whiskies in its time - and so has Caperdonich. A 'Craigduff' from Glen Keith was very good and the same goes for some peated bottlings of Benriach (which, fortunately, was reopened in 2004).

Trivia about Allt-A-Bhainne: Allt-A-Bhainne's single malt whisky is
still used in the famous Chival Regal and 100 Pipers blends. The distillery
was re-opened in 2005 after new owners Pernod Ricard decided to make
Chivas Regal the number one premium blend in their whisky portfolio.

And I'm afraid that's all I currebtly have to share about Allt-A-Bhainne.
As long as they don't put any marketing efforts behind the massive production numbers this malt will probably remain very hard to find as a single malt.