If sherried single malt is very much your thing, then GlenDronach is a name you should get to know very well. The distillery resides in the Highlands, busily working away on some incredible expressions, with sherried malt sitting at the core of many of them. This particular dram, The GlenDronach 12 Year Old, is allowed to age in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks from Spain, resulting in generous helpings of dried fruit and Christmas spice running through it.
Please note: We're afraid we can't guarantee which vintage you will receive. It'll still be yummy GlenDronach no matter the vintage, mind!
Rich cereals, struck match, raisin, cinnamon, caramelised sugar. Opens with some sweeter PX and lots of delicious raw ginger before becoming creamier with hazelnuts.
Fruits, peels, buttery. Pain au chocolat, a little marmalade on toast before becoming firmer and nuttier with spiced raisins.
Smoky toffee and nut brittle.
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A very nice whisky. Caramel and toffee, a little maple syrup. Very heavily sherried. I almost never use water, but this one needs a dash to settle it some. The price is certainly right. But...for nearly the same price I would choose Highland Park 12 any day. Still, a good dram.
2015 bottling...Extraordinarily balanced. I've a preference for older single malts, but this 12 year old truly realizes the potential of its class. Heavily sherried, yet the lovely imparts of P.X. and oloroso casks do not drown out the very high quality of this single malt. Attention to detail is evident. Well refined, and full of character at 43%, this is one for the connoisseurs.
This isn't a bottle you reach for on a special occaision. This is the bottle you reach for on week nights when you just want something nice to sip while watching Netflix. It's a great expression of the style for a very good price. I think you'll find it disappears pretty damned quickly.
Overall a reasonably complex and finely sherried single malt - but this one needs some time to "air out" and breathe a bit. The first few glasses from my current bottle seemed a bit harsher than some of the GlenDronach whiskies I've had in past years. The finish initially had a rather unpleasant smoke character, akin to sucking on a charcoal briquette. After drinking the bottle down to the top of the label and letting it rest for a week or so, the charcoal aftertaste noticeably diminishes and the real character of this whisky really shines through with its fruity/sherry flavors. If you like sherried whisky, give this one a try.
it's okay! I don't think its exceptional nor I do think it is that smooth. The finish was a bit rough. would I serve it to guests? Sure. But I don't think it would get 5 stars. In fact, I might just have talked myself into going to the ABC store and getting some Glenfiddich 12 ?
