GlenDronach Parliament 21 Year

Checking my notes and it’s been 3 weeks since my last review. A combination of weddings, family events, a cold and trying to work through some of my open bottles sidelined me. Plus ever since the SDT ended I just don’t feel the pressure to pound out samples 4-5 nights a week. Anyways, on to the whisky du jour. GlenDronach Parliament 21 year old. Why it’s called Parliament I have no idea, and honestly I don’t care, because it’s wonderful. Matured in a combination of PX and Oloroso sherry casks, bottled at the 48% ABV sweet spot, non chill filtered and natural color of a nice mahogany. The nose is all sweet savory sherry with soft sherried fruits. Berries, plums, dates, apricots and raisins. Oranges dusted with cocoa powder, pecans, Brazil nuts and cola. Warm pecan pie, nutmeg, ginger and allspice. There was a note of something like citronella or furniture polish, but it was brief and not really a bad thing when it was there. Some light oak, pancake syrup, chocolate pudding, chocolate licorice (yes those are two distinct chocolate smells), and vanilla. As an experiment I added a bit of water even though I don’t think any was needed. Everything was softened and nothing additional was brought out except a little more oak, hazelnuts and a bit of a soapy note. The palate starts with gentle baking spices at first, then they build in intensity and the signature GlenDronach spice profile is revealed. A bit earthy with mild ginger root, nutmeg and allspice. Nutty sherry - walnuts, pecans and hazelnut. Polished oak with some slightly bitter tannins. Raisins, dates and some bitter dark chocolate. Water does very little except bring down some of the bitterness (even though there wasn’t much there to begin with). A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and silky smooth. The finish is medium length with sherry, chocolate, nutty with some tannins. This is a wonderfully matured highland single malt. A very elegant yet easily approachable profile. Both the PX and Oloroso casks show their influence here. This is every bit as good as the 18 year old, but not so good that it justifies the much higher price tag. Speaking of price, here in Michigan this bottle goes for a whopping $250. At that price there is no way I would have bought a bottle. Instead I got this from Master of Malt for $117, plus shipping. True it was only a 700mL bottle vs the 750 I would have gotten here in the States, but those 50 extra mL’s are not worth the extra $100 or so. I won’t be restocking this bottle as I have so many more to get to, but I recommend it to sherry lovers out there. 4.5 Cheers

Great stuff! Tried this at whiskey washback. This has notes of toffee, caramel, spices, berries, and raisins. Originally preferred 18 to this but later in the night tasted 18 and 21 side by side and thought the 21 won.

Dark chocolate cover fruity note. Extremely smooh..very woody with dry nuts finish..amazing