Glenallachie 14 Years Old 2008 Cask #5555 (Meadowside Blending)

Meadowside Blending bottled this GlenAllachie, a 14 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 5555, at 52.8%, one of 260 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt from the hills above Aberlour, below Ben Rinnes. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition.

Distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. A refill bourbon hogshead held it, keeping the full character to the fore. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour.

At a natural 52.8% it is full and rich. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with a warm oak spice. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.