GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 1

Drankgigant 63,50 Drankdozijn 67,50

I like GlenDronach and this doesn't disappoint. Defintely let it breath for a bit and after trying it neat add a bit of water to really open up the flavour palette. Patience will be rewarded.

This is Batch #3 and it comes in at 54.9%/109.8 proof. The label highlights Oloroso and Pedro X sherry cask, but I'll be damned if all I get up front is new oak. Fresh, vibrant oak. This NAS beast is young. (Now I'll freely admit that I usually dilute cask strength whisky with a few drops of water as a rule, but I ALWAYS, ALWAYS take the first sniff and sip as the distillery intends- Neat). If you don't do this I have 2 words for you...come on. 15 minutes in the Glencairn glass and I'm still sniffing- hoping for something other than oak. A bit of sweetness has snuck into my scotch. The first sip at full strength and the oak and spice flood the tongue, fool around and let it settle into your mouth and the pepper and allspice begin to take your breath and send a burning sensation up the nose. God, I love cask strength. If you let the heat escape and gently swirl the remaining juice you get rewarded with a bit of zesty citrus. The bottle says there's a heavy malt presence but I don't get it because the citrus or heat has muted it. The finish is long, spicy and hot- as most cask strength bottlings are. If you're a bourbon-head you'll appreciate this, if not you may be gasping for air. I guess I'm a little bit of both- I loved it but found myself subconsciously being thankful it was over. I immediately reached for another sip because, well, I have a problem: Too much good whisky and not enough time to drink it all. This bottle runs significantly higher than most of its brethren: I wanna say this bottle was close to $110+, but if you like spicy, oaky and high proof bourbon-esque scotches you'll be thrilled.