My favorite whisky distillery of all time is Glendronach, and i have been dreaming to taste an old bottling from them, one belonging to the times where Billy Walker wasn't the Master Distiller, just to experience the difference from nowadays expressions. Well, i managed to get my hands on a nowadays "rare" 1980’s bottling of Glendronach 12yo. It was matured in second-fill ex bourbon casks and finished in sherry; unlike today's 12 year old which is fully sherried. Bottled at 40%abv, golden color. On the nose, I get this hay, oak thread that i often find in old whiskies. Red Apples is the main note here. Honey and a chocolate bar that you have stored in a fridge. A floral very appealing note;  It has a caramelized apple aroma that imidiately takes your memory to a circus from your childhood. Fresh fruitiness, lovely aroma; impalpable sugar. A hot apple pie from McDonald's. Hot cinnamon. After a first sip it gave me school glue that came out of nowhere, not very appealing. Acetone. The second nose was a little bit of a setback. After a minute it released an awesome cotton candy note; very sugary. After a second sip, the arome went super sweet: apples dipped in dulce de leche. Toffee exploded here. Im impressed of this aroma specially for a 12yo. A very creamy vanilla ice cream. On the palate, more red apples. It gives me this "Aberlour" feeling. Cinnamon. Red apple peel, honey. The second sip gave me a fancy toffee. A spicy mixture of hay and apples. Aftertaste is spectacular. Hay and hints of smoke. Tobacco. Beautiful finish very rewarding. The overall hay flavor is quite lovely. Overall, i truly believe that this one is way better than nowadays 12 year old expression. This is far more complex, and you can tell they have used some very nice ex bourbon casks for this whisky. I deducted some points here and there, but the nose and aftertaste were almost perfect. My score for this one is a very well deserved 93 over 100.