Glenallachie Single Cask 28 Years Old 1990 (Cask 1470)

This official GlenAllachie, a 28 year old, from 1990, cask 1470, at 53.5%, 263 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt known for its heavy sherry and wine cask maturation. It was mothballed in 1985 and reopened in 1989, a modern distillery by Speyside standards. It was built by Mackinlay McPherson, the firm that supplied whisky to Shackleton's 1907 expedition.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, shaping a rich Speyside body with real weight. It was matured in refill ex-Bourbon oak, a soft vanilla beneath the fruit. At this evaporative stage ellagitannins lend structure while oxidation builds a richer raisin and treacle. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Maturation runs slow and even in the on site dunnage warehouses at Aberlour. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register.

At a hearty 53.5% it carries real weight. A deep, dark sweetness, over a gentle, creamy oak. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is a rich Speyside malt of dried fruit and chocolate.