Glenallachie Single Cask 28 Years Old 1990 (Cask 1465)

This official GlenAllachie, a 28 year old, from 1990, cask 1465, at 53.4%, 668 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt known for its heavy sherry and wine cask maturation. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. Maturation came in a Pedro Ximenez cask, layered over the full GlenAllachie make. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer raisin and treacle. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

Bottled at a cask strength 53.4%, it is deep and concentrated. A rich, sherried sweetness, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and chocolate.