Glenallachie 9 Years Old (Amontillado Cask)

GlenAllachie from the distillery, a 9 year old, at 48%. It belongs to GlenAllachie's The Wood Collection. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, revived in 2017 by the team of Billy Walker. Under Walker it turned to single malt, with heavy maturation in sherry and wine casks. Its stills were doubled from two to four within months of opening, the lyne arms angled down for a fuller spirit.

Distilled in copper pot stills, for a full make built to take active wood. It was fully matured in an Amontillado 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. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At 48%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with a dry, nutty, almond edge from the cask. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is GlenAllachie's deep, fruity Speyside style.