GlenDronach Original 12 Year

Sherry, raisin, light leather

$60/750ml like this as much as macallan 12

Solid sherried speyside. Good competition for the doublewood.

Smooth and strong sherry character

GlenDronach 12 *NOSE: Fist off, props for no artificial coloring and no chill filtering. The lovely color on this is all natural. Right off the Sherry influence is obvious. You also get Vanilla, Powdered Sugar, Crisp Apple & Pear, Unpeeled Peach, Wood Spice, Black Pepper, and Ginger. The longer it sits a Floral Note creeps in. There is a great Syrupy Peach note on the empty glass. *NEAT: Velvety Mouthfeel. Starts off with a surprising amount of Oak. Vanilla, Ginger, Orchard Fruits, Warm Malted Cereal, Burnt Cashews, and Sherry Sweetness. There is a mid-palate jolt of Tingly Heat followed by a Longish Building Finish with a Rising Heat in the chest. Notes of Spicy Oak, Black Pepper, and Sherry coat and linger on the palate. For a while after finishing my pour, there is a flavor like an over chewed toothpick that lingers. *SPLASH: Better? Brighter? A few drops of water (and I mean just a few) makes the nose Stewed Apples and Cinnamon. The palate becomes sweeter with Baked Apples and Raisins like Mom use to make. Moves that mid-palate jolt of heat from the mid-palate to the finish. There is an overall mouth-numbing quality. Similar to the after effects of eating a slice of jalapeño. Very good. *VERDICT: What an interesting whisky. Oddly, the splash made it less complex but overall more cohesive and slightly better. The nose on the empty glass is quite good, even hours later. Fairly priced at $60, I'm not sure this will ever be a staple for me, but I will definitely enjoy this bottle.