Glenallachie 15 Years Old 1999 Cask #DL 10707 (Old Particular)

Douglas Laing bottled this GlenAllachie, a 15 year old, distilled in 1999, from cask DL 10707, at 48.4%, one of 312 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt from the hills above Aberlour, below Ben Rinnes. It was founded in 1967, designed by the architect William Delme Evans, his fourth distillery after Jura and Tullibardine. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. An Oloroso cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At its natural 48.4% it is rich and chewy. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is the sherry led malt of Aberlour.