Glenallachie 10 Years Old 2011 Cask #3031829 (Duncan Taylor)

Chosen by Duncan Taylor, the cask house from Huntly in Aberdeenshire, this a 10 year old GlenAllachie, distilled in 2011, from cask 3031829, at 54.7%, a festival cask. GlenAllachie is a deep, dark Speyside malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit.

Drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, giving a full bodied Speyside spirit. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the rich spirit growing rounder and darker. Active first fill wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At its natural 54.7% it is rich and chewy. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, lifted by a sweet oak. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is the sherry led malt of Aberlour.