Allt-a-Bhainne 7 Years Old 2008 Hepburn’s Choice (Langside Distillers)

Distilled in 2008 and bottled by Langside Distillers in 2016 under the Hepburn's Choice imprint, this is a 7 Years Old Allt-a-Bhainne at 46% ABV from ex Bourbon maturation. The release is one of 300 bottles. Langside Distillers is the Glasgow based parent of the Hepburn's Choice line, focused on accessible single cask releases at modest natural strength.

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.

Ex Bourbon American oak frames cask contribution on vanillin and oak lactones from the toasted and charred staves, with Maillard chemistry from hemicellulose oak sugars driving honey and vanilla. The clean American oak palette suits Allt-a-Bhainne's lighter blend filler spirit. Seven years in ex Bourbon develops the cask interaction in its primary extract phase, with vanillin and oak lactones forward and the lighter fermentation derived character carrying through clearly.