Swahili1
GlenDronach Original 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
March 18, 2022 (edited March 20, 2022)
Nose- sweet and jammy with a strawberry preserve tanginess. Fruits abound here along with cereal notes almost like a granola or cereal bar.
Palate- soft and buttery mouthfeel. Plump, gold raisins leap from the glass with some plum and fig flavors. There is a bit of sulphur note, but not enough to wreck the sip. This is sweet but not overdone as strawberry jam is evened out by oak and maltiness. I really enjoy the sweet-sour playfulness this has. There is also a nuttiness that goes along with it-- almost like a holiday fruitcake. The Sherry really plays well with the malt.
Finish- medium to long finish. There is a nice warming with a slight alcohol bite. The raisin note is the dominant one along with a bit of barnyard hay. The flaw here is just a slight wave of bitterness and some drying wood right at the very end.
Overall- This is really good. I had this at cask strength prior to trying this. The cask selection was a real treat. I was reluctant that this would pale in comparison. I am pleasantly surprised! The profile is so similar, albeit the cask strength was amped up. I will say that this bottle does not appear to taste watered down or have become tannic with a bit of downproofing although that small bit of bitter woodiness at the very end makes the slight difference. For 69.99 though......this bottle is a winner!
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Cant believe you double crossed John Wick
I am starting to expand my horizons. I have even gotten past the rubbery bandaid and iodine taste in some of the Islay scotch and zero in on the meatier smokehouse flavors. (have to trick my mind some, but whatever works). I can't say that I like them all thay much, but some of the fruitier Highlands stuff like this is actually quite tasty. This is a good bottle at a great value for what it is@PBMichiganWolverine
@Swahili1 considering you’re not a scotch guy, this is high praise from you. I need to look into this one.