Glenallachie 11 Years Old 2008 Cask #3024979 (Duncan Taylor)

Duncan Taylor bottled this GlenAllachie, an 11 year old, distilled in 2008, from cask 3024979, at 54.2%, bottled for a whisky festival. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, founded in 1967 below Ben Rinnes near Aberlour. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. It matures its spirit in sixteen dunnage warehouses on the distillery site at Aberlour. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition. 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. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make.

At its natural 54.2% it is rich and chewy. A deep, dark sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A dark chocolate and a soft oak give it weight. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.