Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington
GlenDronach Revival 15 Year (2018 Re-Release)
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
May 20, 2021 (edited June 16, 2022)
It was gone, then back (but different), then gone (not actually but impossible to find) and now back. The reputation of this malt is almost too good to be true. At the time this reappeared I had a bottle of the 12 year and wondered “do I really need another sherried malt?” The answer I now know is yes. Yes I do.
To explain why I poured this again and again, and then against the 12 and this is what I found:
Gd12 - 2018
Golden color and nose of honey malt, clover, vanilla, fig jam, faint oak, cherry, leather shoe polish. The whiskey itself has a light feel on the tongue, mellow heat and a medium finish with grape jam.
The palate showcases a medley of bright berries and dried fruits, caramel malt, hey, buttered popcorn, earthy chocolate and hints of fresh sawdust and very faint ethanol.
Impression - young, balanced, bright and fruity
Gd15 - 2021
Shade darker than golden in color with dense aromas of milk chocolate, raisin, maple syrup, pecans, oak char, and faint tobacco.
Medium body and coating with a noticeable heat that warms the chest and medium-long finish.
Palate - oh the flavors. The first punch is full of earthy tobacco and oak. Then floral notes, vanilla and wood char shine through... almost as though this is bourbon. The mid palate onward softly sets sail into the realm of figs, dark chocolate, raisin, sherry, and nougat.
Impression - I need more of these...
Damn. That is fantastic. If Glenfarclas 25 walks quietly and carries a big stick then this just stomps around with club while slamming sherry. This is so much richer and more concentrated than the younger, brighter 12. The earthy notes right up front are, in a bourbon drinkers mind, just outstanding. Funny thing is there is little to no hey, heather, caramel or honey to make me think “malt.” This could just as well be played off as a well finished rye whiskey.
This stomps Macallan 12. Perhaps not as viscous as the Glenlivet cask strength Nadura but much more interesting. Not as spicy as Glenmorragie Malaga cask but again deeper and earthier. Based on my limited prior experiences I didn’t know a Sherry finished whisky could do this. The nutty oloroso, the rich raisin PX, the earth. The whole ordeal almost made me forget peated whisky even existed, if only for a dram or two.
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sorry to hear all the changes at GD. The bottle of 15 I had was wonderful and the 18 even better. Shame to think the quality may be going down a bit
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington the only reason I can see NCF being used by GD is if as @ContemplativeFox said, BF is trying to push it more mainstream. In doing so, they might want a more consistent appearance in their product, which is what the NCF apologists claim it does. GD might also be gearing up to expand their product offerings in the US with bottle size restrictions changing recently. They make a lovely little 8 year old that has been unavailable in the US unless you special order a bottle.
@ContemplativeFox when I was still in school I splurged (basically taking one more piss into an ocean of debt) on a Rancillio for espresso and have never gone back. It seems like NCF is a means of, as @cascode said, subtracting flavor and makes no sense to me as the additional process and equipment must add to cost.
@Soba45 I'm now sorely tempted to open that bottle. But I think I must... resist.
@cascode Maybe they're trying to go more mainstream? If they were, I'd think the Aberlour route of lowering the proof of the 12 year and chill filtering it would be the way to go. Glendronach is not a household name, so I have to assume that it's mainly bought by whisky aficionados (or at least it is at the high end - 15+ YO) and very few in that group are going to want chill filtration. Getting into a fairly tangential note about personal experience, I'm no coffee aficionado (see how tangential it's getting?), but I was shocked recently to discover how dramatic the impact of paper filters on coffee can be. I tried the same coffee with a metal filter (which was a huge pain to clean) and it was far richer and more complex. I have to assume that was because it didn't lose its oils. I'm now more upset than I ever was before when I see that a whisk(e)y is chill filtered.
@ContemplativeFox Just finished my last whiskey bottle which was the Parliament. Excellent stuff.. bottle was gone in no time!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington The only reason is to reduce oil content so that whisky will not cloud. Chill filtration is just an unnecessary extra process that subtracts flavour. All the new distilleries understand this and it seems incredible that Brown-Forman would take such a retrograde step in relation to their flagship Scottish distillery.
@WhiskeyLonghorn my question for their PR would be why filter? I like the occasional rough edge otherwise I’d by F@$&ing Mccallan! Anyway, NCF is probably better for the environment, or something. Just no good reason.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Ugh, this day has come really quickly. I don't begrudge GD for not including older stock in their bottles anymore after getting enough younger juice to fill them, but switching to NCF is a serious disappointment. If they cut back the sherry, IBs will be the only options for fans of pure sherry bombs.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington Nice :)
@WhiskeyLonghorn vague = “ yes, we’re ending NCF “
@PBMichiganWolverine Ralfy had a good rant about that and actually got a follow up from Glendronach PR. They’re being vague about the NCF business. Stock up now while you can...the sherry cycle seems to be coming for GD the same way it did for MacAllan.
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I thought I read somewhere that Glendronach has now no longer Non-chill filtered. Wondering why the change, would piss off the whiskey geeks, at minimal gain over the masses
@ContemplativeFox I may have a bunkered 2016 parliament bottling hiding for a special occasion. I doubt even in 2016 they had much stock older than 21 to blend in but I couldn’t pass it up. Now to drink my way through the others so we can get to it!
@Bourbon_Obsessed_Lexington I need to find a reason to open my bottle of Parliament now so that I can send you a pour :)
@CKarmios Yeah - I continue to be surprised by how different this is with just 3 extra years of age (and we're past the point where there were 'free years' in the bottle, so it really is just 3).
Good detail, especially the comparison with the 12 which I found very useful.
Nice review :-). They did a great job with this one. It'd be my next sherried whisky buy when i get back into drinking the stuff!
Great review and great comparison of the two 15 y.o. expressions. Glendronach is the contemporary Macallan, and I don't just mean that as a metaphor - all of its core range are uncannily like Macallan was in the 80s and 90s, maybe even cleaner.