Now that GlenDronach has been taken over by the Walker family, they are following the BenRiach tradition of yearly special releases. The new owners have shown what they can do for an undervalued distillery so we should have high hopes for these new releases.
This year, there are five single casks:
- GlenDronach 38yo 1971 (cask #483) – 544 bottles
- GlenDronach 37yo 1972 (cask #719) – 474 bottles
- GlenDronach 16yo 1992 (cask #1140) – 598 bottles
- GlenDronach 16yo 1993 (cask #523) – 634 bottles
- GlenDronach 13yo 1996 (cask #193) – 399 bottles
GlenDronach 16yo 1992 (57,2%, OB 2009, oloroso butt #1140, 598 btl.)
Nose: big big sherry. Hints of raisins, milk chocolate, worn leather. Maraschino cherries / kirsch. Sweet notes of toffee, even some vanilla. Walnuts. Hints of roasted nuts and smoke in the distance. With water, bang, a fruit explosion: tangerine, lovely raspberry and red currant. Very sweet and juicy. Mouth: prunes, cherry liqueur, some balsamic vinegar. A bunch of fruit jams as well (figs, prunes, blackcurrant). Light cinnamon. In the aftertaste, there is some beef stock and more leather. Finish: amazingly long, on sherry, hazelnuts and spices (cloves and a bit of ginger). Evolves to very dark, slightly bitter chocolate.
Now you have to like heavy sherry of course, but if you do, you will love this GlenDronach. No nasty sulphur effect whatsoever, which can be a problem with heavy sherry bottlings. Clean and complex. Too bad for the oaky bitterness in the end, which I found a bit distracting.
Not available yet, but on its way to the stores as we speak. Around € 90.
Score: 89/100
This blog is my personal collection of impressions, written while searching for the ultimate single malt whisky.
