Allt-a-Bhainne 10 Years Old 2008 Edition VIII Ciara (The Stillman’s)

Distilled in 2008 and bottled by The Stillman's in 2019 under the VIII Edition Ciara imprint, this is a 10 Years Old Allt-a-Bhainne at 54.8% ABV from Oloroso sherry maturation. The release is one of just 118 bottles. The Stillman's is a German independent bottler running numbered editions, with personal dedication names that give each release a distinct identity beyond the cask reference.

Allt-a-Bhainne ferments malted barley for 48 to 50 hours on Mauri liquid yeast in closed stainless steel washbacks, then double distills through two copper wash stills and two copper spirit stills with steam heating and shell and tube condensers. The short Speyside ferment produces a clean malt forward spirit built as a blend filler for Chivas Regal, Passport and 100 Pipers. New make is reduced with Rowantree Burn water and tankered to Keith for cask filling and maturation, since the distillery holds no warehousing on site.

Oloroso sherry maturation drives the spirit through rancio chemistry, where slow polyphenol and aldehyde oxidation during prior sherry contact generates the dried fruit, leathery and nutty register typical of long sherry contact. Against the lighter Allt-a-Bhainne distillate the sherry contribution leads. Ten years in Oloroso develops the rancio chemistry from its primary extract phase into the secondary, with dried fruit and nutty register joined by Maillard products from oak sugar contact and lighter sherry derived sweetness.