Glenallachie 20 Years Old 1996 Cask #5265 (Signatory)

This GlenAllachie comes from Signatory Vintage, the Edinburgh house that bottles at Edradour above Pitlochry, a 20 year old, distilled in 1996, from cask 5265, at 43%. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, the home distillery of master distiller Billy Walker. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition.

It was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a soft honey over the fruit. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make.

Reduced to 43%, it is mellow and sweet. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and chocolate.