Glenallachie 17 Years Old (Original Collection)

Cadenhead bottled this GlenAllachie, a 17 year old, at 46%. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt known for its heavy sherry and wine cask maturation. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. 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 46% it is rich, fruity and deep. Date, fig and a warm cinnamon, with a warm oak spice. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.