Glenallachie Delhaize Bottling 14 Years Old 1990

This official GlenAllachie, a 14 year old, from 1990, at 40%. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt known for its heavy sherry and wine cask maturation. It was bought in 2017 by Billy Walker and two partners, fresh from selling BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh. It matures its spirit in sixteen dunnage warehouses on the distillery site at Aberlour.

The spirit was drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a soft honey over the fruit. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Active first fill wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow and sweet. A rich, sherried sweetness, lifted by a sweet oak. The mouthfeel is full and coating, the fruit dark and sweet. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.