Glenallachie Handfilled at Distillery 15 Years Old 2006

GlenAllachie from the distillery, a 15 year old, from 2006, cask 806905, at 59.5%. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, the home distillery of master distiller Billy Walker. It matures its spirit in sixteen dunnage warehouses on the distillery site at Aberlour.

The spirit was distilled to a full, generous cut, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending a creamy vanilla. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

Bottled at a cask strength 59.5%, it is deep and concentrated. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.