PBMichiganWolverine
GlenDronach 14 Year Virgin Oak Finish
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
August 25, 2019 (edited December 10, 2022)
Glendronach at its finest. This is a 14 yr with 13 1/2 years in probably some combination of sherry and American oak, followed by the last 6 months in virgin oak. The virgin oak would give it an extra oomph in vanilla and wood spices. Traditionally, virgin oak weren’t really accepted in scotch whisky, just because it has a belief that it’ll make young NAS whisky seem more mature. So for Glendronach to use this as a finishing and add an age statement shows they really weren’t trying to hide behind a young immature whisky. They used it wisely, like a chef gracefully adding spices to a dish.
So this pour was provided by my buddy @LeeEvolved. I’m especially appreciative because this is now impossible to find ( at least for under $120, and not in the US).
Nose is amazing. Like vanilla licorice. You get hazelnuts, with vanilla ice cream on the palette. Finish is LONG. Just lingers in a bit of cinnamon taste. If anything, this would be perfect if it weren’t for the spicy long finish...was a tad too long for my liking...but hell, at this point I’m just nitpicking. This is an excellent pour, and if you bought it while it was available, pop it open and drink with friends and family.
Thanks Lee!
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@Rick_M except my vault. Hell, I can’t even find them there.
@PBMichiganWolverine - There’s no place on earth these bottles can hide from @LeeEvolved. :)
@LeeEvolved yeah...that won’t be an accurate side by side. Outcome is clear.
@PBMichiganWolverine - I don’t have the bottle anymore but I may have a sample tucked away. The only difference is that the 20yo in a single cask, cask strength and the Master Vintage is a blend of multiple 25yo casks with an ABV of around 48%. It would still be interesting, but I’m sure the CS SB would dominate the flavor profile.
@LeeEvolved do you still have the 20-something Glendronach open? If you do, would be interesting to do a side-by-side with Barrie’s. Call the show Barrie vs Walker.
@PBMichiganWolverine - I’m going to see how well Ms Barrie can pick and blend barrels real soon. I’m gonna open the Glendronach 25yo Master Vintage she handled on her own, in a few weeks, for Paul’s whisky channel.
@LeeEvolved nice! If it’s Billy Walker’s ‘dronach, then it’s going to be damn good. Barrie is a crap shoot.
@PBMichiganWolverine - my bottle is from 2015 and has Billy’s signature embossed on the tin. Expectations just jumped.
@LeeEvolved let me know what you think of the Doric. If it’s anywhere close to this, i’m Going to grab a bottle. Any idea if Doric has Barrrie’s hands on it or Billy Walker’s?
Yeah, I was sad the day I finished this bottle. I have another bottle from Glendronach that should be quite similar: The Doric. It’s more focused on ex-bourbon cask and virgin oak finishing, minus the age statement. That could be good. It’s also $20-30 cheaper than the 14 Virgin Oak. I’ll probably open it soon.
It was a great dram. I have 1 unopened bottle still to crack open one day.