Glenallachie 15 Years Old 2009 Cask #900864 (Signatory)

This GlenAllachie comes from Signatory Vintage, the Edinburgh house that bottles at Edradour above Pitlochry, a 15 year old, distilled in 2009, from cask 900864, at 65.6%, one of 570 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, founded in 1967 below Ben Rinnes near Aberlour. It was bought in 2017 by Billy Walker and two partners, fresh from selling BenRiach, GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh. It was mothballed in 1985 and reopened in 1989, a modern distillery by Speyside standards. Under Walker it turned to single malt, with heavy maturation in sherry and wine casks.

It was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, for a full make built to take active wood. It was fully matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit.

At a natural 65.6% it is full and rich. A deep, dark sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.