Glenallachie 50th Anniversary Bottling 28 Years Old 1990 (Cask 2515)

A 28 year old GlenAllachie, a distillery bottling, from 1990, cask 2515, at 44.9%, 484 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a rich, sherried Speyside malt from Aberlour, built on full bodied spirit and active casks. It was designed almost entirely gravity fed, an efficient plant for its time. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, for a full make built to take active wood. Maturation came in an Oloroso cask, layered over the full GlenAllachie make. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Active first fill wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

At its natural 44.9% it is rich and chewy. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.