GlenDronach Original 12 Year

On the nose is sweet oak, creamy vanilla, grape juice, candied ginger, pear and a hint of spice. - To the palate it has a rich, viscous mouthfeel, sweet with a building spice, oak, vanilla, butter tart raisins, and juicy plums. - The long finish starts spicy and sweet, but moves towards dry and oaky spice with a hint of roasted nuts. —//— Malt Mark: 89

(FWF Share #105 [9/7/2018])

Smooth

A little thin. Great sweet nose. Spicy.

A bit spicy.

#GlenDronach 12 vs. #Macallan 12. Both are #Highland #SingleMalts with #nocoloradded at 43% ABV. They are both matured exclusively in #sherrycasks (vs. ex-bourbon casks followed by sherry cask finish), which explains their sweet, dark fruit nose and palate throughout. However, only #GlenDronach12 boasts #nonchillfiltered on its label. MC12 is slightly darker than GD12. ....…......….…........................................................................... Nose: #GlenDronach12 wins this battle easily over #Macallan12. GD12 gets my score of 91 and MC12 gets 86. Macallan 12 offers aromas of vanilla, black cherry, rum, and raisins, but there’s an undeniable hint of sulphur. GD 12 has a richer vanilla bean scent along with ginger, ripe persimmons, and honey with absolutely no sulphur scent at all. ....…......….…........................................................................... Palate: GD12 wins this battle over MC12 with a score of 91 vs. 87. GD12 has a smooth mouthfeel with notes of English toffee, prunes, sweet ginger, and butter biscuit...it tastes like it’s been aged for at least 15 years. MC12 offers notes of dark chocolate filled with rains and spicy ginger, dark figs, and (unfortunately) gun powder. ....…......….…........................................................................... Finish: GD12 has a sweet sherry finish that ends with pleasant dry oak. MC12 has a spicy oak finish with sweet dried fruit at the end, but there’s a slight scent of sulphur that remains on the tongue and in the empty glass. GD12 gets a score of 90 vs. 86 for MC12. Without sulphur, Macallan 12 would be a delicious dram. ....…......….…........................................................................... Overall Experience: GlenDronach is now my favorite 12 year-old scotch alongside #HighlandPark12. It’s a well-crafted whisky that is uniquely no-color-added and non-chill-filtered. 91 for GlenDronach 12 vs. 86 for Macallan 12. ....…......….…........................................................................... Value for Money: GD12 ($57 USD) goes for about $7 USD more than MC12 ($50), but it’s worth every dollar. #whiskybattle #whiskyreview