Glenallachie Single Cask 11 Years Old 2011 (Cask 7450)

A distillery release of GlenAllachie, an 11 year old, from 2011, cask 7450, at 58.1%, 874 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt known for its heavy sherry and wine cask maturation. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition. It matures its spirit in sixteen dunnage warehouses on the distillery site at Aberlour. Its stills were doubled from two to four within months of opening, the lyne arms angled down for a fuller spirit.

The spirit was distilled to a full, generous cut, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. Maturation came in a Port cask, layered over the full GlenAllachie make. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Speyside body.

At its natural 58.1% it is rich and chewy. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with red berry, plum and a dry spice from the cask. It is full and fruity, the spirit carrying the cask. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a deep, sherried Speyside single malt.