Glenallachie 9 Years Old 2014 Benchmark Limited Release (Murray McDavid)

Murray McDavid bottled this GlenAllachie, a 9 year old, distilled in 2014, at 55.9%, one of 639 bottles. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, the home distillery of master distiller Billy Walker. It runs unusually long fermentations, up to a hundred and sixty hours, for a thick, ester rich and fruity spirit. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition.

The spirit was drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, for a full make built to take active wood. It was matured in an Oloroso cask, the wood working deep into the malt. Young and extractive, the cask sheds vanillin and toasted sugars over the full, fruity spirit. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At a natural 55.9% it is full and rich. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A dark chocolate and a soft oak give it weight. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.