Glenallachie Single Cask for Europe – Batch 5 13 Years Old 2008

This official GlenAllachie, a 13 year old, from 2008, cask 414, at 56.6%, 309 bottles in all. GlenAllachie is a Speyside single malt, the home distillery of master distiller Billy Walker. Its stills were doubled from two to four within months of opening, the lyne arms angled down for a fuller spirit.

The spirit was drawn from a thick, full bodied wash, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It was matured in a Moscatel cask, the wood working deep into the malt. In integration coconut and vanilla knit with the malt, the orchard notes deepening to sultana, date and chocolate. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich GlenAllachie make. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At a hearty 56.6% it carries real weight. A rich, sherried sweetness, with a grapey, floral sweetness from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a rich, sherried Speyside single malt.