Glenallachie 9 Years Old 2014 Cask #9900252 (Murray McDavid)

A GlenAllachie of a 9 year old chosen by Murray McDavid, distilled in 2014, from cask 9900252, at 58.4%, one of 356 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, founded in 1967 below Ben Rinnes near Aberlour. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. It was mothballed in 1985 and reopened in 1989, a modern distillery by Speyside standards.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, for the rich, sherried make GlenAllachie is known for. A Pedro Ximenez cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit rich, fruity and full. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At 58.4%, undiluted, it is dark and full. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is a full bodied Speyside single malt of real richness.