LeeEvolved
GlenDronach 14 Year Virgin Oak Finish
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
December 28, 2018 (edited December 10, 2022)
I’ve been a GlenDronach fan for quite some time now. I’ve drank some of the youngest juice and some of the oldest juice from this Highland distillery. I haven’t been let down very often. This special release 14 year old was finished in virgin, American oak and carries a somewhat hefty price tag ($116). But, I gotta say- this ranks up there with one of the biggest surprise whiskies I’ve had. This stuff is glorious!
The appearance is copper gold- you can tell it spent its first 12.5-13 years in some fine sherry casks. It makes thick legs thanks to the boosted ABV of 46% and it leaves behind small beads after you spin it around a bit.
The nose is fine sherry and red fruits- all up in your grill. The ABV grabs your attention if you go in too close, but the sweet vanilla and fresh cut oak add a wonderful dimension that normally isn’t present in your typical ‘Dronach.
The palate is sweet, red berries with a slight buttery tint that makes it feel extra rich and decadent. The oak is hotter than I expected, but it just feels right when it arrives. Mid sip turns mellow and sweet, with vanilla beans and sugary grapes. The mouthcoat is rich and creamy, like a great dessert.
The finish lingers on a bit too long and ultimately finishes drier than I hoped, because of the overall richness- but it doesn’t necessarily wreck anything. A light butterscotch note clings to the tongue, too. Fabulous.
Overall, this one tempted me to make room in my All Time Top 15- maybe even Top 10. The price tag is slightly high for a young-ish, age statement whisky- but exceptions can and should be made here. This is a delicious, specialty GlenDronach. Seek out a bottle while they are still floating around. If you spot it under $95-100 and don’t buy it you’re missing out on a deal. 4.5 stars, every day of the week. Cheers.
116.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@Rick_M - I watched Aquavitae’s side by side comparison of the old vs the new- he said the new is still a quality dram, but the older is much different and better. I thought about buying a bottle of the new batch, but I’ve got too many other bottles on my wish list right now. I’m sure I’ll give the new Revival a go at some point.
@LeeEvolved - I have a GD 15yo (2018) in my future, as in tomorrow night. Sorry to hear it may not match up to it’s predecessor.
It may be possible that we are seeing the results of having the stills switched from direct fire to steam heated. When Billy took over and reopened GD the stills were changed as well. Maybe we are just now seeing the results of this change.
@Soba45 thank you. I’ll start there appreciate the advice.
@PBMichiganWolverine I’ll keep an eye out for them thanks!!
@LeeEvolved Yeah I agree with your theory. It's a pity watching something so great and my top ever distillery slowly being degraded... the peated portwood was a shambles... the only hope I have is for their single cask stuff but then again whilst reducing quality for most of their stuff they are jacking up the prices for the rest...
@Soba45 - I guess the million dollar question is- are the powers that be telling her to blend in younger, subpar whisky to make the numbers or does she truly have free reign to make the best stuff she can? Something tells me it’s the former. All these distilleries gotta grab the money while it’s rolling in. Meanwhile, I’m moving over to Glenallachie. Safer bet IMHO.
@LeeEvolved Hopefully as he's not that young! Yeah I feel sad for her but seriously Billy left all that great stock she just needs to blend the stuff! (although thinking through an alcohol haze I'm thinking is it a case that he was riding off the casking put down before him and she has his stuff...). I'll have to do the maths when I sober up :-)
@Soba45 - meanwhile, Ms Barrie has released some mediocre stuff from GlenDronach: Peated, Peated Port Wood and I hear the new 15 Revival pales in comparison to the older release. I hope she can uphold the standards, but her track record as Master Blender/Distiller is questionable to this point.
@Soba45 - I bought batch 1 releases of Billy’s stuff from Glenallachie: 10 CS, 12, 18 and 25. Sadly, he didn’t have anything to do with creating or blending these- rumor is he hand selected these casks as his personal rebrand/relaunch and initial releases. He didn’t put his touch on them, but rather thought they were the best stuff sitting in their vast warehouse. Give him some time and he’ll create the same magic there- I have no doubt.
Oh and I still have one unopened bottle left. Billy Walker did a great job at Glendronach...I believe he said it was his favourite...he must have been sad to sell it but $400 mill he got must have helped! I have samples of the 12 and 18 Glenallachie to see how he's doing there. Very sad to see him leave Glendronach though as it's one of the few distilleries that the raw new make alone is something wonderful to behold ( ok I've been drinking in Barrossa all day so maybe I'm getting carried away..but still.. trade tear to the eye stuff :-))
@deuce26 Try the 18 as a starter :-)
This one is very hard to get now. I bought a bottle of this and the 14 year sauterne to a tasting with 15 bottles and they got destroyed in 2 seconds flat! I ran out and got another bottle of this just before a mate got there and cleaned out the rest of NZ's stock. In those days (2 years ago) it was only $60 a bottle. Still I'm amazed you can still buy the stuff.
@deuce26 try their 18 Allardice, or 21 Parliament. Both are amazing
Sounds amazing. Don’t think I’ve ever even had a Glendronach. Putting it on the list now. Thanks.