GlenDronach Port Wood

Not for me

Very unlikely i will get this expression again but would be interested in an age stated version 15+ years old. This has some great berry and sherry note flavors that are overpowered by a young malty off note and an unpleasant spicy finish

Not worth its price

Nose if vanilla, blackberry, and caramel; great blackberry, apple, and fig, fruit heavy body with also a lot of dark tannic wood; quite smooth with little burn; medium texture; fairly dry; finishes with nutmeg, tannins, and fig; very fruit heavy for a scotch

A 10 year Glendronach, bottled at 46% ABV? Sign me up. Finished in port casks during its final three years of maturation, this is a dessert dram through and through. But with two years less maturation than the GD 12, is this worth the up charge? Read on to find out. Aromas of fresh cut, ripe plums, blackberries, and strawberry jam greet the nose. That jam note is best expressed after a second nosing. Subsequent dips in the glass offer blackberry confections, and fresh taffy just unwrapped from wax paper. A dense palate of purple grapes, bramble berries, strawberries, and black cherry unfolds. The body of intensity and ABV is felt in the mid-palate. It finishes with notes of grape candy, brown sugar, graham cracker crust, gingerbread, and wine-soaked oak. Delicious. At this point, I was sold. This expression was going to see a number of rotations in my liquor cabinet. But then, curiosity like a 'good idea fairie' had a say. How would this compare to another port-finished scotch in my collection, the Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban? After all, the Glenmo had a good 4 more years of maturation while still bottled at the same ABV - but priced almost 40% less. Could it outclass this? My partner did the honors and poured a dram of each. The glasses were labeled and mixed up. Label A: aroma = berry and a tad more complex than B Label B: aroma = purple grapes and bit candy-like Label A: palate = berries, while follow on sips reveal a full malt-inflected scotch journey. Label B: palate = grape, almost wine-like with a shorter, more muted finish than A. Comparatively candy sweet with less complexity but, surprisingly, fewer wood notes than A. I didn't enjoy this exercise very much. It was sort of like having to analyze and pick your favorite of two puppies - when you'd rather sing the individual praises of each. A less than pleasant blow-up, but the evidence had been swallowed. There was a clear winner, and it was Label A. It was obviously more complex, and offered a deeper aroma and palate. I'm convinced it's the Glendronach and that, indeed, I had brought home a keeper. I was stunned when my partner revealed Label A was the Glenmo. That was a $50 bottle dancing circles around this $80 competitor like Canelo Alvarez in the ring. Incredulous, thoughts raced through my mind: 'exasperation', 'woke', 'infidelity', 'condo for sale'.... I grabbed the bottle of Glenmo with an open fist and drank from the neck.... It was indeed true. My partner was not being a mischievous scamp. Glenmo was the victor. I coughed and hurriedly explained to my partner that my throat had been tickling me. I will thoroughly enjoy this bottle. But once it's done with, it won't soon be replaced. The Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban is simply a better spirit, and obtainable at a more reasonable cost. UPDATE: I recently revisited this expression and ran another comparison with the Glenmorangie 14. This bottle has been opened for over half a year, while the Glenmo 14 was a recent buy to replace my previous emptied one. And the results were confounding. I found myself preferring this to the newly opened Glenmo. The nose was degrees better with reserved notes of port and some brown sugar. The Glenmo, on the other hand, came across as harsher and also a menagerie of fortified wine notes, each striving against each other. The palate on the Glendronach was also superior this time around. It's obvious to me now that the Glenmo needs time to oxidize before gaining the results - and the advantage - of my previous review. Now that that's done with, time to get another bottle of this while I still can!

Nose: meaty Cabernet Sauvignon, grape soda, light brown sugar, distant dried fruit, touch of ethanol, maple syrup, maybe a trace of vegetal peat? The nose is all about the red wine finish. Palate: some caramel, vanilla, hint of either peat or iodine, fresh red fruit, hazelnut, whisper of cinnamon. A little hot. Finish: strawberry hard candy, cantaloupe, orange pith, watermelon, red fresh fruit, lemon, black pepper. The port influence is evident. Beyond the nose, it also has a pinkish hue. Solid pour.