Glenallachie 8 Years Old 2008 (Best Dram)

This GlenAllachie was bottled by Best Dram, an 8 year old, distilled in 2008, at 62.5%. GlenAllachie is a rich, sherried Speyside malt from Aberlour, built on full bodied spirit and active casks. It was built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat.

It was distilled to a full, generous cut, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working deep into the malt. In these extractive early years the oak gives vanillin as vanilla and lactones as coconut over orchard fruit and a dark sugar. 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 full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour.

Bottled at a cask strength 62.5%, it is deep and concentrated. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. It is full and fruity, the spirit carrying the cask. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.