Glenallachie 17 Years Old 2008 Cask #3043529 (Duncan Taylor)

Chosen by Duncan Taylor, the cask house from Huntly in Aberdeenshire, this a 17 year old GlenAllachie, distilled in 2008, from cask 3043529, at 53.8%, one of 87 bottles. 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 was drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Active first fill wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At 53.8%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, lifted by a sweet oak. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.