GlenDronach Revival 15 Year (2018 Re-Release)

I was thinking 1000, what to taste? A closed distillery? An older aged statement of an open one? Something obscure? There are still a few of those tucked away but then I thought conceptually wise what really makes them special? You see those shows where top chefs are driven to experiment further, wider more wildly more creatively and then one day for whatever reason, often disillusionment or burn out or feeling like they want to get off the treadmill, they step away go back to where it all started, often literally by walking around their garden and try to remember what made it special for them in the beginning, often stripping everything back to the basics. I'm definitely not a top chef (my cooking is barely edible) and i'm not a top anything but the concept resonated with me. Where did it all begin, what were the moments at the beginning where my mind was expanded in a big way, my eyes opened. There were a few but whisky wise 6ish so years ago when i started my journey it would have been one of the Glendronach's, my memory is a bit crap so whilst positive it was one of the earliest was it the first...not sure but it was an eye opener even after a year open. Glendronach 15 the Original...man that was a special dram..and selling for around $60USD at the time..... those were the days.. Now I ran a tasting which included this a Glendronach 12 year Sauternes and a Glendronach 14 year Virgin Oak...yeah a long time ago it was. It blew a few people's minds who like me were also getting into whisky. One of them ran out and bought ever single last bottle of the 15 year he could find (literally)..which at the time was a single retailer in our city Wellington. After that it was gone....I searched later...none left in the whole country (there is one now selling for $350USD!)...Now several weeks ago after extensive horse trading I managed to get one of those bottles from him (he got an 18 yr plus loads of other goodies). The top was rusted (no idea where he was storing it) but it was mine...along with the one last bottle of the 14 year virgin oak I saved. Now in addition I got hold of the new Glendronach 15 Revival Version 2. So you see where this is going.. yes ladies and gentlemen..a head to head old verses new...at the danger of degrading my old memories is it still awesome? Is the new version a pale imitation or a faithful recreation? Now it dawned on me that there may not be any scenario which results in a happy ending out of this experience. Either the new isn't as good as the old or it is but then I get burnt at the stake as a heretic as people swear it isn't or it is initially but with time open the old bottle gets better and the new fades away. Or even the old isn't as good as I remember so I've tarnished my memories. Or maybe I let bias creep in and I get someone else to pour them and I taste blind. Arggghhhh the overcomplication of it all... I then thought back to the concept...keeping stuff simple..taste both, enjoy one or the other or both (or not as the case maybe) and make a call based on what I know about what I have at the moment I tasted it. And so I did....now as you may have spotted there was no rating. I couldn't give the ending away now could I :-). I gave both time and then took a sniff. Straight away you could tell the difference..pure caramelized toffee deep rich on the old whiskey; you could deeply inhale and drown your nasal cavities in its depth. The newer edition you could tell had the red berried fruitier px influence. You could tell it's relevative youth but still lovely. I generally am an Oloroso man through and through so I did have prejudices going into this but I liked both on the nose but the old variant definitely captured my heart. My memory is often faulty but the thing I remembered about the old held true..that smell..it took me back years. On the palate the nose translated similarly..younger spicier and more ethanol fwd with water. The old... man that rich caramelized toffee. Slightly shorter finish then I remember but the bottle had been open all of a hour so I know what is coming over the months and years I savor this.. usually I give bottles away this I will hold onto..eeking out a dram here and there every so often over time. I knew I shouldn't spoil the moment and compare but I busted out a sample of the old 18 as well. As great as ever but oddly despite also being pure oloroso a lot spicier than the old 15 yr. So what do I prefer. Sadly the old 15 year is just an amazing dram better even than the old stock 18. The new 15 whilst showing it's youth is also a great dram I'd be saying 4.25 to 4.5 easily and makes me question the old 18...the old 15 however ah man why oh dear god why did I not stock up. I'd like to thank everyone i've interacted with on my journey on this site. The notes I've enjoyed reading, the comments and banter I've had and despite the tens of thousands of kilometers distance between some of us the 'aromatherapy samples' we have managed to sneak past customs :-). mo bhuíochas is doimhne

Fruity Fruity Fruity. Sherry. Oakey.

Great!

This one has gotten a lot of hate for the switch to PX and olorso, not being 20+ years old despite being labeled a 15, and don't knows what else. 80 bucks for me which seemed pretty fair, I swear I saw this for 100 last time, but I know it does go for less elsewhere. Nose - I know this is odd but I get almost a port like sweetness that I might get on a port finished bourbon or fruity port finished scotch. I get red fruits but not that darker notes. No chocolate either which is a bit unusual. Sweet, very sweet scotch. I do get some oak, slightly bitter. I get some alcohol which at 46% seems out of place. I get an almost berries and jam note with alcohol and a bit of sour. Taste - This has a bit of a chewy savory and fruity kinda character. There's some sour notes, some salted notes, I don't get overt peat, but there might be a PPM or two (I get a bit more on the 18). I can get some light milk chocolate notes, toasted breads, spices, just sweet and sugary fruity elements. Texture - oily and thick, shockingly great mouth feel for a 46%er, but lets not get overly excited if you're into cask strength. Finish - this is where this one really shines. It's got a medium to long lingering finish. The oak, their might be some salty smoke, a chocolate and vanilla element that's buttery. It's so a "dessert is served" element. Yet it's puckering and a bit bitter and while those elements can be forgotten, they balance the sweetness and make this a better finish. I'm down right blown away at 80 bucks and with how subpar the 12 is that this new 15 was able to pack so much refinement and quality into it. This is as good as a lot of 18 and even 21 year old scotches though it isn't as refined as some either. Score - I'm going 4 stars. It really is that stupid good. This, I might have to check but it might be the best value whisky I've reviewed. I do expect some to find this a bit sour and bitter and salty for them given I think people want a pure sherry bomb on these and that's not exactly what this is. Sorry I was just too focused on value when I reviewed this, dropping to 3.5. It's great but not 400 bucks good.