Glenallachie 10 Years Old (Oloroso Finish)

This official GlenAllachie, a 10 year old, at 48%, 3000 bottles in all. It belongs to GlenAllachie's Wood Finish Series. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, the home distillery of master distiller Billy Walker. Under Walker it turned to single malt, with heavy maturation in sherry and wine casks. 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 run slowly off the spirit still, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. After ex-Bourbon maturation it was finished in an Oloroso cask, the wine working into the spirit. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

Bottled at a cask strength 48%, it is deep and concentrated. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.