Glenallachie 24 Years Old 1995 Cask #23 (The Duchess)

A GlenAllachie of a 24 year old chosen by The Duchess, distilled in 1995, from cask 23, at 55.1%, one of 289 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt from the hills above Aberlour, below Ben Rinnes. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending a creamy vanilla. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour. Active first fill wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

At a natural 55.1% it is full and rich. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a dark, fruity Speyside single malt.