Glenallachie 9 Years Old 2008 Cask #704 (Meadowside Blending)

A GlenAllachie of a 9 year old chosen by Meadowside Blending, distilled in 2008, from cask 704, at 55.1%, one of 336 bottles. 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 built for the 1960s blend boom, its make long destined for the blender's vat. It was founded in 1967, designed by the architect William Delme Evans, his fourth distillery after Jura and Tullibardine.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, for a thick, ester rich spirit the casks then deepen. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending a creamy vanilla. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit rich, fruity and full. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At a hearty 55.1% it carries real weight. Raisin, chocolate and a warm spice, lifted by a sweet oak. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a Speyside single malt of real standing.