Tastes

Possibly the Magnum Opus of Glendronach, not an absolute showstopper but such a steal of a Whisky at one of thee most affordable prices in the market now you just can’t say no. A mastery of the art sherri-ing whisky. The combination of Olorosso and Pedro Ximenez shows the Dronach name still means business. The sherry barrels balance out a light peat on the end of the grits journey, really coming togther with the light choclate notes of the Port Cask finish to make what would be an absolute sweety of a whisky a more balanced and nuanced dram. After attending a guided tasting with Master Blender, Rachel Barrie you can really see the works of the other 3 distilliries core under her portfolio shine on this Single Malt The Peat is done traditionally at the end of the malting process paying ode to how whisky was originally done. I can even taste Vanilla and Pine notes softly off the peat as the peat is sourced from the Caladonia Forest beds. Glendronach has always been known for being an industry leader in using Sherry Barrels and the peating techniques introduced in the last 5 years at Benriach show devidends here to a brand now really well known for Peating softer Orchard style Speysides. To top it off the experimental aging techniques seen at Glenglassaugh really show that Dr. Barrie is a creative genuis and we can see here with the double sherry and port finish leaves no doubt on her williningess to experiment. I won’t leave too much for the tasting notes as regardless if you enjoy sherried or smoky whisky this bottle is something to appreciated purely for the craftsmanship alone Nose: Smoke, Candied Orange, Sherry Palate: Dried Fruits, Smoke, Peat, Chocolate, Xmas Spice Finish: Cream, Eafthy, lingering sugar granoule 4.75/5

Sits on the palate like actual jam, richness and viscoscity of the California Red-Wine finish is a treat. I go straight to Dried Fruits and Bramble notes, the unique grass of most Bladnoch Whisky tails in the background like an acoustic guitar on a summer day. The Floral notes of a lot of Lowland Malts blends with the grass making it standout without being too left-field. Nose: Cream, Raisins, Fresh Cut Apples ( Royal Gala and Autumn harvest apples to be exact.) Palate: Dried Fruits, Floral Grass, Full-Body, Bramble Finish: Rich/Viscous, Tannins, Orange Peel, Lemon Peel 4/5