Glenallachie 8 Years Old 2008 Cask #3011328 (Duncan Taylor)

Duncan Taylor bottled this GlenAllachie, an 8 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 3011328, at 48%, one of 42 bottles. 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.

The spirit was drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, for a full make built to take active wood. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a soft honey over the fruit. In these extractive early years the oak gives vanillin as vanilla and lactones as coconut over orchard fruit and a dark sugar. 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. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At a hearty 48% it carries real weight. A deep, dark sweetness, with a warm oak spice. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.