Glenallachie 8 Years Old 2011 Cask #3023117 (Duncan Taylor)

An 8 year old GlenAllachie from Duncan Taylor, distilled in 2011, from cask 3023117, at 52.7%, one of 50 bottles. GlenAllachie is a deep, dark Speyside malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit.

Distilled in copper pot stills, for a thick, ester rich spirit the casks then deepen. It was fully matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood deep in the rich spirit. In these extractive early years the oak gives vanillin as vanilla and lactones as coconut over orchard fruit and a dark sugar. 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 52.7% it is full and rich. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.