Glenallachie Single Cask 12 Years Old 2011 (Cask 7438)

A 12 year old GlenAllachie, a distillery bottling, from 2011, cask 7438, at 55.9%, 765 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, founded in 1967 below Ben Rinnes near Aberlour. Its water is the Lochnagar Burn, drawn down from the slopes of Ben Rinnes. Under Walker it turned to single malt, with heavy maturation in sherry and wine casks. 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 worked unhurried through the stillhouse, giving a full bodied Speyside spirit. It was matured in a Port cask, the wood working deep into the malt. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the rich spirit growing rounder and darker. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At a natural 55.9% it is full and rich. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with red berry, plum and a dry spice from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.