Glenallachie 23 Years Old 1996 Cask #5256 (Signatory)

Signatory Vintage, the Edinburgh house that bottles at Edradour above Pitlochry, bottled this GlenAllachie, distilled in 1996, from cask 5256, at 56.2%, bottled for a whisky festival. GlenAllachie is a deep, dark Speyside malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. 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. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes.

It was run slowly off the spirit still, for the rich, sherried make GlenAllachie is known for. An ex-Bourbon barrel shaped it, vanillin and a soft coconut under the malt. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a hearty 56.2% it carries real weight. A rich, sherried sweetness, lifted by a sweet oak. It is full and fruity, the spirit carrying the cask. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is GlenAllachie's deep, fruity Speyside style.