Glenallachie 13 Years Old (Oloroso Finish)

A 13 year old GlenAllachie, a distillery bottling, at 48%. It is one of GlenAllachie's Wood Finish Series bottlings. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, long a blending malt and now a sherry led name in its own right. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat. Its stills were doubled from two to four within months of opening, the lyne arms angled down for a fuller spirit.

The spirit was distilled to a full, generous cut, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. Ex-Bourbon matured, it was given a finish in an Oloroso cask for a final sweetness. In integration coconut and vanilla knit with the malt, the orchard notes deepening to sultana, date and chocolate. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

Bottled at a cask strength 48%, it is deep and concentrated. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.