Glendronach 15yo Sherry Cask Matured

Glendronach 15yo Sherry Cask Matured

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Cream, chocolate, raisins, honey, leather, black pepper, hints of farmyard. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, tingly, mouth coating, expands. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Chocolate, raisins, malted grains, black pepper, brown paper, hints of farmyard. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, black tea, black pepper, raisins. 

Comments: 

Exactly what you’d expect, sweet and raisiny, with an interesting little kick of something farmyardy on the tongue and nose. It’s a nice chocolatey, slightly bitter finish too.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendronach 12yo Sherry Cask Matured

Glendronach 12yo Sherry Cask Matured

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, strawberry jam, cloves, foam shrimp, malted grains, hints of aluminium foil. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens slightly, tingly, astringent. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Fresh baked bread, golden syrup, malted grains, raisins, black pepper, hints of cloves. 
Finish: Short. Cocoa nibs, fresh baked bread, golden syrup, black pepper, hints of cloves. 

Comments: 

Fruity and sweet, with a good level of richness, but there’s plenty of malt here. It’s also spicy, especially on the finish. Great example of sherry matured whisky.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendronach 25yo 1993/2019

Glendronach 25yo 1993/2019

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, orange blossom, black tea, cherries, chocolate, leather, fresh baked bread. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, thickens, turns syrupy, hot. 
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Cloves, chocolate, orange blossom, raisins, vanilla custard, blackberries, hints of fresh baked bread. 
Finish: Long. Black tea, raisins, cloves, fresh baked bread, hints of petrol exhaust. 

Comments: 

Classic sherried dram, lots of sweet spicy notes. It’s multi-layered and complex, starting with spice and chocolate, before fading to jammy fruit, then a good malty spine. Lovely whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glendronach 27yo 1992/2020 for the Whisky Shop

Glendronach 27yo 1992/2020 for the Whisky Shop

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber red
58.4% ABV
Dram

Nose: Leather, raisins, black pepper, roast pork, green tea, orange peel, golden syrup. With water, red grapes, raisins, golden syrup, cloves. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, loosens, mouth coating, slightly oily. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Raisins, golden syrup, cooked rice, orange peel, black pepper, cloves. With water, golden syrup, red grapes, cooked rice, cloves. 
Finish: Long. Raisins, prunes, damson jam, black pepper. 

Comments: 

Cask 5852. This is very sweet, and typical of the newer style of sherried whisky, which is sweet and rather uncompromising. There are other interesting notes, but the spices, fruits and cereal are subordinate to the sugar.

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glendronach 23yo 1975/1998

Glendronach 23yo 1975/1998

First Cask, The Malt Whisky Circle
Single malt - Speyside 
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Peat, bananas, peaches, fresh baked bread, strawberries, orange peel, hints of toast. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, astringent, tingly, warm. 
Tasting:  Salty sweet. Honey, strawberries, bananas, leather, sea salt, peat, hints of greengages. 
Finish: Long. Toast, leather, peaches, fresh baked bread. 

Comments: 

Cask 1687. This is glorious, salty briny peaty whisky overlaid with typical Glendronach sherried fruit. It’s intense and complex, and remarkably so given it’s only 46%. A higher ABV would have made it very rich indeed. 

Verdict:

I like this a lot. 

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Glendronach 10yo Port Wood

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Copper red
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Orange juice, leather, honey, red grapes, cucumber, jasmine, hints of green tea. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loosens, slippery, cool. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Chocolate, red grapes, toffee, honey, vanilla, hints of marmalade. 
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, coffee, green tea, toffee, hints of ginseng. 

Comments: 

A rather sweet expression, new-ish. I've been told that this wouldn't suit me, and there's some truth in that. There's less of that layered complexity that I tend to find in Glendronach, but it's still there - some vegetal and floral notes, plus a lot of chocolate, and a rather bitter finish.

Verdict:

Not bad.

Glendronach Master Vintage 1993 25yo

Glendronach Master Vintage 1993 25yo

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
48.2% ABV
Dram

Nose: Balsamic vinegar, caramelised onions, raisins, sea salt, honey, hints of roast beef, hints of chocolate. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, slippery, sticky, mouth coating. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Raisins, black tea, lemon juice, roast beef, chocolate, balsamic vinegar. 
Finish: Long. Chocolate, lemon juice, cooked rice, caramelised onions, balsamic vinegar. 

Comments: 

Very reminiscent of the Silver Seal bottling I had not too long ago. Sweet and sherried, yes, but with delicious savoury notes, along with that lovely balsamic vinegar flavour wreathed throughout. Nice mouthfeel too.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 22yo 1990/2013

Glendronach 22yo 1990/2013

Special Bottling, Silver Seal
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany
52.1% ABV
Dram

Nose: Balsamic vinegar, caramelised onions, red grapes, breadcrumbs, ink, hints of red wine. 
Mouthfeel: Medium body, slippery, mouth coating, astringent. 
Tasting:  Sweet salty. Balsamic vinegar, caramelised onions, fried bread, red grapes, orange peel, tomatoes, hints of black tea. 
Finish: Long. Fresh baked bread, malted grains, red grapes, black tea, vanilla. 

Comments: 

I've been chasing this whisky for quite a long time, only to discover it behind the first row of bottles in the best whisky bar I've ever been to. It's unusual and delicious, redolent of fried onions finished in balsamic vinegar, sweet and savoury, with a conventional finish. Lovely and brilliant.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 24yo 1993/2018

Glendronach 24yo 1993/2018

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Mahogany red
57.9% ABV
Dram

Nose: Magic marker, sea salt, leather, orange juice, red grapes, hints of pears. With water, malted grains, more salty, dried figs. 
Mouthfeel: Light body, loose, volatile, airy. 
Tasting:  Sweet. Pears, leather, magic marker, lemon juice, hints of apples. With water, red grapes, honey, sea salt, dried figs. 
Finish: Long. Red grapes, leather, sea salt. 

Comments: 

Cask 656, 556 bottles. Oh, this is good. It's jammy and grapey, yet slightly salty and savoury at the same time. It opens up beautifully with water, becoming more subtle yet more complex. Excellent stuff.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 8yo Hielan

Glendronach 8yo Hielan

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, coffee, red grapes, orange peel, hints of vanilla. 
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thick, syrupy, sticky. 
Tasting:  Bitter sweet. Dark chocolate, red grapes, vanilla, custard, hints of coffee. 
Finish: Medium. Custard, raisins, dried blueberries, coffee. 

Comments: 

This is a younger version of the Glendronach sherry bombs, pitched at entry level. It's decent, with good complex combinations of bitterness wreathed through with fragrant threads of vanilla and grape. It's exactly what you'd guess a younger version of, say, the Allardice or Parliament would taste like.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendronach 21 yo Parliament

Glendronach 21 yo Parliament

Official bottling 
Single malt - Speyside
Amber gold
48% ABV 
Sampler

Nose: Raisins, chocolate, honey, oranges, lemon zest, dried apricots, brown sugar.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, mouth coating, chewy.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, oranges, chocolate, brown sugar, vanilla, cookie dough, hints of burnt sugar.
Finish: Long. Oranges, chocolate, cookie dough, vanilla, hints of burnt sugar.

Comments:

Sweet and strong, with something burnt, or at least cooked, at the very edge. Muffins? Fruit cake? Cotton candy passed through a candle flame? Sweet sherried Speyside, this is delicious. You don't need smoke or peat for good whisky.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 18 yo Allardice

Glendronach 18 yo Allardice

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Chocolate, honey, vanilla, sea salt, tobacco leaf, dried apricots, hints of peat.
Mouthfeel: Heavy body, thickens, tingly, slightly astringent.
Tasting: Sweet. Chocolate, raisins, vanilla, honey, dried apricots, tobacco leaf, red wine, hints of leather.
Finish: Medium. Chocolate, orange peel, vanilla, honey, hints of lime.

Comments:

Spicy, complex and sweet. Lots of heavy sherry character, but with an astringent citric bite lurking in the mouth and especially in the finish. It's a perfect Christmas whisky. Brilliantly made.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.

Glendronach 12 yo Original

Glendronach 12 yo Original

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
43% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, honey, brown sugar, molasses, plums, oak, hints of peaches.
Mouthfeel: Medium body, cool, slippery, wet.
Tasting: Bitter sweet. Raisins, honey, molasses, butter, vanilla, oak, plums, cherries, hints of truffle.
Finish: Medium. Walnuts, raisins, cherries, oak.

Comments:

Musty, fruity and dense. This is new-style Glendronach, a reboot of the old flagship bottling. Very oaky, like a slightly dry, less rounded Merlot, with lots of sweet and buttery overtones. Slight bitterness in the finish. Pretty good.

Verdict:

I like this.

Glendronach 15 yo Revival

Glendronach 15 yo Revival

Official bottling
Single malt - Speyside
Amber
46% ABV
Dram

Nose: Raisins, leather, brine, toffee, coffee, sherry, hints of rum.
Mouthfeel: Light body, cool, static, watery.
Tasting: Sweet sour. Raisins, sherry, oranges, lemons, honey, coffee, caramel, hints of brine, hints of leather.
Finish: Short. Honey, oranges, raisins, brown paper, brine.

Comments:

Matured in oloroso sherry casks, and named the Revival, as it is meant to be the resurrection of a much-loved sherry monster bottling, discontinued under the previous ownership. It's sweet with sharp hints of brine and citrus, very smooth and drinkable. Sherry monsters can be too sweet, this one is almost perfect. It doesn't quite reach the heights of old sherried Glen Grant, where the whisky could almost be mistaken for brandy, but it's very good indeed.

Verdict:

I like this a lot.