@WhiskeyLonghorn Thanks for the tip about the date!

@Anthology de nada🇲🇽🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

@WhiskeyLonghorn Muchas gracias!

@Anthology good question. There should be a laser code etched on the back of the bottle near the base in a Year/Month/Date format. Fortunately it’s a straightforward date rather than a code like SMWS. The dates are important because the Glendronach distillery was closed from 1996-2002, so any distillate they made prior to that was just sitting in their dunnage warehouses for all that time. When Billy walker acquired Glendronach in 2002, it came with all this well aged stock, which he turned into highly popular single malts which were often times older than the age statement on the label let on. It’s been long enough now that the 12, 15, and 18 are all actually those ages, but the 21 is still supposedly older stock still. I have a 2017 bottling, which I suspect is really 22-23 years old. The Parliament should really hot it’s peak around 2023, where the stock will be close to 27 years old. Hope that makes sense.

@WhiskeyLonghorn I’ve been meaning to ask, how can you tell which bottling/vintage of the GD? Where’s the code [+ decipher] or naming convention located on the bottle/packaging.

@Ctrexman sorry man. You’re about to see a lot of GD fanboying from me in the coming weeks. I’ve also got a bottle of GD 8 coming from Europe. I’d go ahead and pull the trigger on the 18 while you can still get an “older bottle”, and I think @Soba45 would agree. I got a 2017 bottling which is closer to 22 years old. The GD 21 will keep going up in actual age for a few more years until 2023, so you’ve got more time to save for that one ;)

You are killing me WL. The 15 was incredible now I was gonna splurge on the 18 but I have to wait to read the new review and decide whuch to get

@soba45 - i saved one for posterity. :)

@Rick_M 3!! No wonder none make it to NZ :-). Damn fine dram that.

@jonwilkinson7309 I’d have been much more pissed if I didn’t have the jar full of corks from the ghost of Glendronachs past. It’s a favourite in my house (as in many around here!). Review coming in a few weeks. I can tell you that when I popped the cork and took a whiff I thought I was going to get a cavity. Sinfully sweet on first pass (hello PX). Totally different from my GD 18 bottle. Really looking forward to this one!

@cascode thank my wife for the idea. We got a bunch of glassware like vases and decanters as wedding presents years ago. We never use the for their intended purpose, so she started keeping used wine corks in one. I followed suit when I got into whiskey.

@WhiskeyLonghorn A jar for the corks - what a good idea. I have about a dozen large plastic zip-loc baggies full of corks, but I must look for something more decorative!

@cascode I agree. A lot of American Single malt distillers are using synthetic corks. Thank goodness for the used cork jar I keep on the shelf!

I've had corks that were affected by black fungus/mildew, not unlike the stuff that grows on dunnage walls. They inevitably crack when you try to remove them and the stuff has penetrated the whole cork. So far even if this has affected the contents it has not been objectionable. I've also had lots of clean, non-mouldy but dry corks over the years that have cracked and some that looked eroded and rough. I've never see one with green mould. Why do bottlers insist on using cork in this day and age? Synthetic stoppers are way better.

Looking forward to the review! I've not had that happen with a cork, but I'll keep an eye out in the future. I'd be beside myself if that happened to a fine bottle like this one

@Rick_M interesting. Nice to know it’s a Total Wine issue, not a Glendronach issue. That would add insult to injury right now.

A few months back I bought 3 Red Spot whiskies from total wine. They only had 1 on the shelf and had to grab 2 out back. They come in metal containers and when they were handed to me, the guy apologized that they were cold because he had retrieved them from the cooler. I asked why they were stored there, and he said lack of space. Refrigeration could certainly dry out the cork and not recommended. If then removed to warm storage that might explain the condensation and resulting mold.