Tastes

Glendronach is heaven for whisky lovers. Everyone who has ever tasted something from this distillery, loved it. I finally went to the distillery and my wallet showed me two options: you either go for the 26yo hand filled bottle, or the 1993, 25yo Master Vintage. I went for the first one, (and i nailed it), but two days later, i found this bottle on the restaurant in the Scotch Whisky Museum in Edinburgh, and i tasted it. As always a good whisky, but i believe the core expressions, the 18yo and 21yo are better. Well... i think those two are my favorite two whiskies ever so i might be biased. Well, this beauty is 48.2%abv and has a chesnut color. On the nose, is where it is most weak, even if it doesn't feel weak at all. Glazed pork, Tobacco, Vanilla; Sherriness take some time to open. Coffee,Toffee, Orange caramel and Chocolate. Mostly a 15yo glendronach aroma profile. On the palate, Figs, Sweet Chocolate, Cherries, Milk powder and Dulce de leche. Beautiful Aftertaste is all about three notes, but very pleasant: tobacco - chocolate - pepper. Overall this is a great dram, but it is super expensive for what it is. It goes for £275 which is about $350 and that gets you two or maybe 3 (with some luck) glendronach 18yo bottles. My score on it is 91 over 100.

Glendronach, that very special distillery that makes the best 2 whiskies i have ever tasted: Allardice 18yo and 21yo Parliament. This is a cheaper almost "experimental" expression, peated and matured in port wood. The result is a very powerful and "out of the box" dram that is best on the nose and not as good on the palate, without been off-putting. Bottled at 46%abv. Nose is close to perfection: herbal peatiness, like grass burning. The sweetness on this is something else, seems like a dessert. Thick caramel. Smoke and salt. Toffee and Nutiness. SNICKERS chocolate. Very pleasant for a peated whisky. On the palate it is a Peated beast that has a slight sweetness and then a spice bomb. Super note of red hot chili. A rare bitterness like prunes peel. Wasabi. Maybe too spicy for me. Finish is very strange and interesting: HOT CHILLI and wasabi. Like a spicy, almost rotten, oranges. Some puff of smoke like A bonfire. Overall this is a special dram, not intended for everyone. My score for it is 82 over 100.

I had this beauty at the distillery, which as you might guess, made the experience a whole lot better, so spare my exciting, glendronach is one of my favorites and i love peat, so i had high hopes for this one. Actually, my hopes were battling my skepticism, because i already had the Glendronach peated port wood and it wasn't what i expected. But this one, it delivers the promise. Bottled at 46%abv, it is everything that glendronach stands for.... with peat. On the nose: Peat, Prunes, Figs, Ashes, Vanilla; a powerful Malted barley note, Heather and Cocoa butter. Pretty nice if you ask me. On the palate it is light but even better than the nose. Puff of smokes, Pepper, Chocolate milk, Toffee and Dulce de leche. Aftertaste is a little short, actually medium-short, and delivers a tobacco with toffee note. Overall this is a very enjoyable dram, complex enough but easy drinkable, not overly peated but enough phenolic to make peat heads happy. 92 over 100, Glendronach does it again.

Whisky is all about bringing memories to you. This wonderful dram does that. Glendronach is one of my favorites distilleries and this 12yo expression is worth every penny you pay for it. Bottled at a fine 43%abv, beautiful chesnut color. On the nose is very appealing, creamy vanilla cookies, cinnamon, sherry, COOKIE DOUGH (it totally reminds me of this, when my mom prepared it to make a lemon pie), prunes, very perfurmed, great aroma: sweet, citric and spicy. On the palate it could be better but it is still a wonderful dram. Creamy sensation, as a grain whisky but full of flavor as a malt. Herbal pleasant dim note, prunes. Mostly cream and vanilla. The aftertaste is medium, with clove and cream. Really interesting. I truly recommend this, you can have it easily and it is very enjoyable. 86 over 100 is a fair score for it.

Okay this is a macho dram. I should have taken it with a couple water drops but i didn't. On the nose it is gentle, and maybe uninteresting at first. Plum is present, sherry, grapy aromas become more perfumed as it rests in the glass. After a while nosing it i got raisings with chocolate like the ones you buy in the movies. After tasting it once, i also noticed vanilla. On the palate, it is a whole different story. Very strong, very hot and spicy. Oak, wood, nuts and red chilli is present. It is a hot dram, full bodied and not very gentle. The finish is strong but medium long. It is my type of whisky and i recognize it as a good dram that most people will enjoy. A lot of character and power. 89/100.

It has happened: Glendronach is releasing travel retail exclusives. So, i cannot longer say this is my hipster whisky, but i can certainly keep my opinion, that Glendronach makes the best whisky there is. I am a fan, and a very paranoid one. Therefore, i was a little scared when they released this, i thought quality will be bad and this will be the first step into ruining my favorite distillery. I was mistaken. This 10yo expression, called Forgue because that is the name of the village where the distillery stands, is a very well crafted whisky and one you can buy without regrets. Bottled at 43%abv, tawny color. On the nose: Dark chocolate, Plums, Vanilla powder; Certain citrus aromas like oranges, Grapes and Candied fruits. Vanilla cookies, Hazelnut. There is this overall sweetness with no alcohol note. After first sip maraschino cherries appear. Great. On the palate, it is very tropical, unlike any other Glendronachs. Spicy, Orange juice, Pineapple and Tropical fruits. Aftertaste is great. Tobacco notes; Bitter. Burnt dry grass, Lovely rewarding finish. Even a puff of smoke can be found. Overall this is a great whisky for $60 and for its age. Is a good expression to open the doors of this distillery to travel retail exclusives. 89 over 100.

While in quarantine, i decided to open one of my samples, and i got to say i didn't even know how much a full bottle costs, which i believe it helped me to write this sample without any hype of the price. It actually costs around 1500 dollars (i have seen it for less in some auctions) and there are only 2017 bottles of it (or at least they were). Bottled at an astonishing 63.2%abv, this is so well crafted that you really don't perceive it is that high in alcohol by volume. Golden color. On the nose: red chilli, vanilla essence, Bloody Mary, Peat, grass, cigar box, dark chocolate, caramel, sulphuric notes also appear, bronze, metalic, lime, and hints of smoke. SO COMPLEX. On the palate, it is delicious. Old oranges, chocolate, dulce de leche, maraschino cherries. There is this aroma of the cortex of chocolate brownies that you smell when baking them. Amazing stuff. Aftertaste is powerful. Maybe too powerful. Ginger, peat, grass, cigarrettes, tobacco, wasabi, mint. This whisky shows us how complex a dram can be. I don't think it is worth 1500 dollars, it would be fair at $250-300. Still a great, complex dram. My score for it is 92 over 100.

Glenfarclas is your typical Speysider. Every one of its expressions will give you a fruity, gentle light dram. The best part of this distillery is that most bottles are not expensive, and it is a balanced nice dram. Personally i prefer stronger, bolder whiskies, but i can deny there is a strong market for this type of whiskies. Bottled at 43%abv, golden color. The Nose is the best part of it, mantaining the typical speysider traits, but definitively no sherry as described in the bottle. The first note that hits you is a strong yellow apple aroma, which is the most recognizable one. Vanilla, fondant and lemon pie after the first sip. Thick caramel is great here. Very fresh, no alcohol note at all. Cinnamon also present. On the palate is way too light. Specially for a 43%abv. Apples and honey, but very watery. There is an oak spice and nutty notes, but overall it feels too watery. Aftertaste is good, with burnt hay and mild pleasant tobacco note, from some small peatiness. Vanilla is present and ginger spice. Pleasant and long, well crafted aftertaste. Overall this is a good dram for around 110$, you can't normally find a 21yo at that price, and i don't know if that is good or bad when describing this whisky. My score for it is a fair 86 over 100; and my final take on it is that it is way too similar to their other expressions, particularly to the 25yo. Oh! Almost forgot! No sherry at all, i did not find any on this one.

My final review on the "Ballantine's Single Malt series" is the home of Ballantine's itself: Glenburgie. Is in this distillery that Pernod Ricard blenders make the popular Ballantine's, and they have of course their own single malt. This time is another 15yo expression. The Distillery is well known for Geese who guard the whole place, and they tend to attack strangers. Bottled at 40%abv. On the nose: another super speysider. Toffee, Vanilla, Banana, Caramel, Honey, Sider. On the palate, honey and cereal. Like the honey Corn Flakes for breakfast. Aftertaste has a dry grassy note, with more honey. Overall this is a very nice dram, specially if you are a honey lover. 83 over 100.

Campbeltown whisky, where scottish whisky was born. Only three distilleries are working there nowadays, and i got to say that i haven't tried much from this region, but every time i had one it has been great. This was no exception. A beautiful dram, very balanced and well crafted. Bottled at 46%abv. On the nose it is where things are a little weak. Lemon, Peat, Burnt hay, Prunes, Grapefeuit. Its a citric rare whisky, Very acetonic. On the palate, the rollercoaster of great flavors start. Ashy, Super fresh; Citric and Balanced. Aftertaste is mildly Peated, some notes of Prunes and "Ashy citric cigarretes". Amazing really. Overall if you want an interesting dram that gives you peatiness and fruitiness, with enough flavor and capability to surprise you, this is a good option. 89 over 100.