GlenDronach Peated

The nose: rich fudgey sweetness, honey The pallete: more rich sweetness, thick honey sweetness like syrup, a slight medicinal note, light citrus the finish: sweet, medium length and leaves you longing for more Overall this is a fine dram, it's like desert in a glass, and one of the most memorable scotches I've had.

Surprisingly peaty for a highland - very strong smokey nose - strong peated palate balanced with vanillary undertones. Very strong lasting peppery spiced finish with lingering smoke.

Wood and Peated to the nose. Powerfull and complex notes on tasting. Very nice.

My bottle of GlenDronach Peated apparently suffered from an identity crisis. When I first opened this I experienced a typical, spicy ‘Dronach that actually tasted quite good, minus a whole lot of peat influence. Around 3 weeks into the bottle, and the final 7-8oz, I got blasted with smoky goodness and earthy peat. This one was a beautiful, polished gold in the Glencairn. Large, watery drops cascaded down with undefined, runny legs after a good spin. The initial nose was black pepper, sherry and heat from the elevated ABV. There wasn’t much depth until some oxidation allowed the heat to dissipate and the earthy, mushroom and wet bog funk mixed with a burned out campfire for the last 1/3 of the bottle (about 3-4 weeks later). The palate was remarkably peppery and lively initially, with standard GlenDronach spices and vibrant oak notes. Sherry sweetness played it’s part in subduing the heat, especially later on once the peated whisky came into focus. The mouthfeel changed from harsh and peppy to oily and rich as the oxidation calmed it over time. I enjoyed both aspects of this dram while working through the bottle, although I think I preferred the initial tastes more than the second coming of the peat. Sadly, this is marketed as a peated NAS so I feel like I should dock it some points here. The finish was medium-long, with lingering sweetness at first, but once the peat aspect came into play it left a funky, barnyard note that made it fall a little in my grading. The peated aspect has been done better by other Highland malts, IMO. Overall, it’s a tale of two drams. The initial, heavy-spiced sherry part was still fantastic even knowing the juice is quite young. I’d give that part a 3.5-3.75 star rating, while it fell a bit once the peated whisky came into play. 3-3.25 stars. The price point was $56- which is average to high for an NAS, so I think I’ll settle for a 3.5 total grade. Buy it if you’re a GlenDronach fanboy, pass if you like your peated Highlanders with a little more focus. Cheers.