Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Nevertheless, the presentation of a whisky surely gives us an insight into the attitude and mindset of a producer when bottling an expression (be it a special release or a core range product). The distiller and blender are saying to us, “This is the best product we can deliver. This is our spirit, and we are proud.” With more and more new distilleries releasing inaugural bottlings and beginning to distribute their core range, we are seeing these three requirements met from almost all of them. They aren’t produced for blends: they are setting up their stall and proudly displaying their liquid in as natural a form as they can. This whisky shows that long Sherry cask aging straight away, as a pour of it shows a dull and reddened amber coloring. It’s a look that is quite bourbonesque, in fact. This swish left behind a leggy curtain.
Now, in my career (not giving too much away about Hamish’s daily activities), I often ask my clients and customers: “If you were to wave a magic wand right now, what would you want delivered? What would deliver value and make you happy?” I ask this now, as a whisky drinker, of you and the wider enthusiast group. ‘Value’ is the word of 2022 when it comes to our whisky purchasing. What a lot of us expect from our precious brown liquid, for our hard-earned money –let’s wave that magic wand – is: Fortunately for me this whisky just about manages to walk that line. It's not as marvellously balanced as other good sherry bombs I've had but I think it manages to keep it's dignity intact. To conclude the original article, I wrote “ Let’s just hope that in a couple of years, when they can finally release whiskies with accurate age statements, they are able to produce the same top quality as they do now.” That hope doesn’t seem to have come to fruition. Sure, some of the single cask releases are still top notch, but also priced pretty much out of everybody’s range. As far as the more affordable releases go: the latest Glendronach Cask Strength Batch #9 was underwhelming.
Categories
We may sell, license, transfer, assign or in any other way dispose of the Service (including Members) to any third party without any notification to you, e.g. (but without limitation) in connection with any reorganization, restructuring, merger or sale, or other transfer of assets. So the take-away for me is this: Glendronach 12 is the same whisky as it’s always been, produced in what can reasonably be assumed is the same way. It is simply exhibiting batch variation – much like every other batch-produced whisky out there. Consistency in whisky batches, for some, is a comfort; they know what they’re getting each time they buy a bottle, and that’s what they want. But for others, consistency is pedestrian. I’m a celebrant of variation – I want to see how a distillery progresses and morphs over the years. But the Glendronach 12 that you buy today is as near as – dammit –the same as the Glendronach 12 you bought a few years ago, just with a few subtle batch differences. NOSE: Red fruit sweetness, creamy oak with bits of dark roasted coffee, an underlying ginger note mixed with bits of vanilla and orange. Delicious and rich inviting you to savour slowly. All of the above almost sounds to good to be true, but it is. Firstly because numbers don’t lie, and secondly because it was confirmed to Bert Rutkowski during a visit to the distillery in the summer of 2013.
After greatly enjoying the 15yo Revival (and to lesser extents the 8yo, 12yo, and 18yo), I looked forward to what the additional influence of PX (and 6 years) would have on GlenDronach. In any case, I’m off to buy a 12yo Glendronach. That’s something I didn’t expect to say anytime soon. Thanks, Hamish and Dougie– this deep dive was needed. The Service has been prepared by us solely for information purposes to Members and the Service is based on information we consider reliable and we obtain the contents of the Service from a number of different third party sources (including Contributions), but we do not endorse, support, represent, warrant or guarantee the completeness, truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of the Services and any information therein. Overall: If you couldn’t tell from the over-the-top language in the above notes, this is an incredible whisky. One of the best, literally, that I have ever had. It strikes all of the bells for me: Sweet and fruity sherry without being overly resinous or sulfurous. Decadently full flavor without excessive alcohol burn. Mountains of chocolate, to degrees I’ve never experienced in a whisky. It starts confidently, strides across the palate without faltering and finishes with elegance, retaining its integrity. A whole, full, round, complete whisky.B and B-: Good and above average. The best of the mass market whiskeys fit in this category, as do the bulk of the premium brands. A B- is three stars.
Cherry toffee. Cherry sauce drizzle on ice cream-van ice cream. Creamy vanilla jam, like clotted cream and jam on a scone. Grapey, more spice – a little more tingle on the tongue. Vague nuttiness, and cinnamon-dusted raisins. Nose: Chocolate-covered cherries melting over double fudge chocolate cake. Decadent. Dense. Port wine reduction drizzled over ripe strawberries nestled into butterscotch pudding. This smells like I imagined the Everlasting Gobstobber tasted when I was a kid. I could smell this forever. Over the last several years, GlenDronach has emerged as one of the most exciting and best valued Scotch whiskies and has become a consistent medal winner in international competitions. John loved the pepper bite in the end, I found the pepper and oak a bit overwhelming and far more pronounced than in the 18 yo release. I enjoyed the 18 yo release far more and found it softer and better balanced. In South Africa, the GlenDronach 21 yo whisky retails for R2 500. Let’s just dive in immediately, shall we? There’s a causality between the mothballing of GlenDronach and the true age of their age statement whiskies. The distillery was closed from 1996 until 2001, and that gap of six years forces GlenDronach to use older whisky than necessary. Take a long hard look at the infographic below and see for yourself.
Top discussions
Nothing in the Terms shall exclude or limit our liability for fraudulent misrepresentation or for death or personal injury resulting from gross negligence or willful misconduct by us. Now I know that no chill filtration and 46% ABV isn’t the be-all and end-all in whisky. There are expressions out there that don’t meet these presentation standards but still deliver a great experience when tasting. Without prejudice to the section Liability below, the Service may be temporarily unavailable during maintenance, updates, etc. We shall make reasonable efforts to inform you of any unavailability due to maintenance or updates. If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. GlenDronach’s 21 year-old bottling from the official distillery lineup is aged in a combination of PX (Pedro Ximenez) and oloroso sherry casks. (Note that is “aged” not “finished” – this whisky sat for a full 21 years in barrels previously containing sherry.) Hilariously enough in the current political climate, this whisky is not in fact named after the British Parliament, but rather for the “parliament” of rooks that nest in the trees overlooking the distillery. It is bottled at 48% ABV and without chill filtration or added coloring.
Great Deal 
New Comment