Single Malt Whisky, 'The Sinteis Series 2014 French Oak & Oloroso Cask'

• Limited release single malt Scotch whisky from The GlenAllachie [glen•ALLA•key] in Aberlour, Scotland (Speyside)
• Part 3 of the Sinteis [sin•teesh; Scottish Gaelic for “synthesis”] Series, a sub-marque of The GlenAllachie’s Wood Collection
• Distilled in 2014; bottled in 2026
• Double distilled in copper pot stills from 100% malted barley
• Matured in a combination of Oloroso sherry casks and virgin French Limousin oak casks that have been given a medium char and a medium toast before being air-dried for 15 months
• Blended by Master Distiller Billy Walker
• Opening notes of orange zest, nutmeg, and dried orchard fruits are succeded by mocha and brown sugar. The palate is packed with layers of honey, orange, and roasted apple, leavened with baking spice and a whiff of black truffle, finishing with more brown sugar, hazelnuts, and cinnamon.
• No added coloring
• Non-chill filtered; bottled at a cask strength of 57.4% ABV

Driving the Sinteis series is the notion that the flavors conferred by sherry aging provide a (lively) backdrop for showcasing the flavors conferred by a less familiar, if no less evocative, virgin oak cask. In this edition, it’s unfilled French oak that takes the stage (Chinquapin, from the US, was featured in the first expression; Scottish oak followed). Medium charred and toasted, air-dried for 15 months, it’s a cask that offers a refined accent to the flavorful revelry that sherry reliably provides. The payoff is significant: Against the expected backdrop of heather honey and dried dark fruits, bright notes of citrus oil, brown sugar, and baking spice shine, making this malt not only a rewarding sensory teacher, but something vastly greater than the sum of its delicious parts.