1995 GlenAllachie 25 Year Old "Hart Brothers Finest Collection" K&L Exclusive Cask Strength Single Sherry Butt Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

The sudden rise to prominence of GlenAllachie is as much a result of the historic lack of availability as it is the current quality of the distillery's offerings. It's not as though the sudden sale of the distillery magically resulted in an increase in quality, we simply had no reference point since it was almost non-existent before the modern era. I believe we once sold a young "Allachie aged in refill hoggies from Hunter Laing, but procuring a quality first or second fill cask was nearly unheard of until the distillery changed hands. And due to the that change, whether it be the bottlers relationship with the outgoing regime or the current one, we're lucky enough to be selling this gorgeous butt. Needless to say, it's a special cask not only because of that rarity but mostly thanks to the stupendous complexity it delivers. Here's my take. The color is a vibrant chestnut. Immediately the nose opens with a blistering attack of musky exotic wood, fine incense, persimmon jam, grapefruit marmalade, kaffir lime, ginger tea and roasted nuts. The perfect balance between malt, cask, time and wine. It's not so dark as to be obviously be first fill (and is most probably second), but the sherry character is front and center, tempered by decades of aging and the rich character of this underappreciated single malt. On the palate a stupendous tension exists between the raw power of the spirit at circa 110 proof - the strangely vibrant fruit. An enveloping spice and rich texture give way to calming sweetness of the malt. Pointed and linear at first, the sherry spice and old oak dominating the malt, but with some air, dried fruit takes hold and fights back against the savory onslaught. Add just a few drops of water and it relaxes into a seamless quilt of complementary flavors. Big fudgy notes on the nose now, with more oxidized oloroso (leather, coffee, earthy herbs), much more fruit - stone and red. On the palate the rich texture remains and some tension remains -adding peppermint and chili oil, caramel candies, honey, yellow fruit and the perfect denouement toward exotic spice, which holds you through the warm comforting finish. This is no sweet and simple one. No, no. This a filled with power and complexity and begs you to take a few hours with the bottle to sit and reflect. Of course, it's expensive, but considering the state of Scotch and the absolute lab created NAS that is easily the same price if not more, this represents one of the finest and most interesting casks we've ever had the pleasure of selling. I wrestle between whether the sample is better with or without water and have ultimately decided that while I believe it holds its water extremely well, I prefer it with either none at all or with a heavy dollop or two. Something magical happens when proofed down to about 46% in glass with a few minutes to open up and it's a window into a lost era of scotch. Take it just to the moment the oils come out of solution and you’ll experience a completely transformation. The just don't seem to make them much like this any longer, it is a true beauty and easily one of the finest casks we'll sell this year.