GlenDronach Forgue 10 Year

There’s something new out of GlenDronach Distillery: an age-statement, travel retail release that was blended by Rachel Barrie and dropped on the masses seemingly right after she re-blended the old, fan favorite Revival 15. This one is named Forgue, that’s the name of the valley that the distillery is located in, and it’s also a 10 year old single malt. I picked this up while shopping online for $78 for a 1L bottle. It contains malt aged in both PX and Oloroso sherry casks, but I don’t believe they were first fill- it’s just too pale for that to be the case. Speaking of color, it’s a pale yellow gold in the Glencairn, with a slight sunset redness glimmering though and it leaves behind watery legs and large drops around the edges of the glass. Evidence of the lower than usual 43% ABV. The nose starts with fresh-pressed, red berries and a hint of grape must. There’s toffee and some spicy oak with just a bit of spark from the alcohol content. The hotter notes subsided the longer it sat and later on throughout the bottle the harshness really faded away. The palate starts strong with orange wedges and zest, vine-ripened raspberries and grape, sherry cask influences. Typical GlenDronach, just more restrained. Apple peel and maple syrup materialized later into the bottle as well, as I have to say this young whisky really oxidized quite well. There was always a dusty oak presence even with an oily mouth coat- and this aspect was the only negative I really found on the tongue and into the finish. The finish carried on with the orange flavors while mixing in more toffee and nutmeg spice. The lingering, medium finish rounded out with an excellent gingersnap cookie taste. Overall, this was much better than I expected. The 2 years lost doesn’t hurt this whisky compared to what I remember most about the 12. The price point isn’t very good, but you do get a little more whisky for your money, so it’s a bit of a trade off. It’s still a travelers and collectors trap simply because it’s not widely available and it will cause GD fanboys to chase it more than they should. If you’re a casual GlenDronach drinker I’d say you can stick to the 12, but if you’re obsessed with trying everything you can get your hands on then this one should be on your radar. 3.75 stars, with a quarter point deducted because of the price and hoops you have to jump through to land a bottle. Cheers.