LouisianaLonghorn
GlenDronach Parliament 21 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
April 15, 2020 (edited April 21, 2024)
Mother of God.
I'd wager that for most of our whisky drinking experience, we come across pours where we think, "Oh, that's nice. I might buy a bottle" or "That was ok, but I'll skip a purchase" or maybe even "Holy shit, that's awful. Who made this?!", but rarely am I left dumbfounded at how mesmerizing something is that makes time stand still and all I can think of is "Mother of God...".
It's no secret that I'm a Glendronach fanboy. I continue to hunt down their various expressions like a kid completing his set of baseball cards. I like the integrity of their bottlings, the distillery character (and characters...), and the commitment to exclusive sherry maturation. Each successive expression I've tried has something wonderful to offer, which culminates in this 21 (ish) year old masterpiece.
Back in the 80's when Transformers was still a new thing, there were a set of robots that each had their own powers, but they were also able to combine to form a super-Autobot of sorts to create a hero that was greater than the sum of their parts. My experience with this whisky was the same. I get the robust quality of the GD spirit from the 8 year old Hielen, the youthful exuberance and approachability of the 12 year old Original, the spicy, sticky Christmasy quality of the new 15 year Revival (the Revival Revival?), the penetrating, old oak of the 18 year Allardice. Somehow, inexplicably, these flavors happen all at once in the 21 year; a sum of the best of GD's other core offerings, culminating in an experience that can only lead to me expressing "Mother of God...".
I'll go easy on the tasting notes. This one is best experienced for yourself. I may have overpaid for this, but I'm not concerned at this point. This is far and away the best whisky on my shelf, and quite honestly, the price point stands up when you compare it to other popular 21 year olds (cough, Macallan, cough, Balvenie).
Pull the trigger and see for yourself, and yes, I think this is better than the "old" 18 year bottlings, which to be fair, are fantastic in their own right (gave it a 4.75 myself), but this one takes the experience to a whole new level for me. Post in the comments below what whisk(e)y gave you that "Holy shit, now this is whisk(e)y!!!" moment in your journey, and if you haven't arrived there yet, I hope you do soon. Cheers.
250.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@ContemplativeFox many thanks. It was time for a change. Most of those Glendronach bottles are now dearly departed, so I figured it was time. Maybe I’ll replace it with my Masters Keep bottles ;)
@Slainte-Mhath Not to stoke the rumor mill, but to do exactly that with unfounded gossip - I hear that @WhiskeyLonghorn and GlenDronach are on the outs. What other reason could there be for the sudden avatar change?! PS @WhiskeyLonghorn your new avatar is also great :)
@WhiskeyLonghorn If you are a GlenDronach fanboy, you should really try to get one of the old bottles of the 15yo Revival. Much better than the new version. The only whisky I have rated 5.0 stars (= perfect) is Caol Ila 30 yo 2014 Special Release.
@Soba45 same here. I was never sure how any of them made a profit before this...
@WhiskeyLonghorn Wow and as of last year 218 thats one for nearly every 22,000 people
@WhiskeyLonghorn Beer will be the same. At one point there were literally only a few big breweries in NZ. Then things exploded and last time i looked a couple of years ago it was around 150 mark!
@Rick_M there’s going to be a breaking point, most likely accelerated by the current global shutdown. A lot of these startup craft distilleries will probably go under and the big houses will “circle the wagons” and hopefully start putting out less overall expressions and focusing on a quality core range.
Also, The industry is way out of control now. The number of new offerings has tripled in the last three years. What the hell do you buy? You really have to do your homework to buy the right bottle nowadays, and that’s only if you can get your hands on it.
@PBMichiganWolverine - not to worry, my collection is less than a quarter of yours. Since I’ve run out of hiding spaces, I’m now very selective about my purchases. :)
@Rick_M A happy problem with a enjoyable solution
@Rick_M we share the same problem. What’s your bottle count ? I’m hoping you have me beat.
@Scott_E - yes, this is the year I will open an OP21. Have yet to try it. Unfortunately, i’ll have to excavate a ton of bottles from the cave to get at one of them. :)
@Ctrexman glad you like it! I had a few pours from my bottle and let it sit for a few months to oxidise, and when I returned it was even more glorious!
I think a few randoms would be the first Talisker I had, the 10, the first Springbank the 15, a 1975 St Magdalene (the most ethereally perfectly balanced dram), 1982 Calledonian (a grain spirit whiskey but man the flavour every type of wax you could imagine plus hazelnut), Johnny Walker Port Ellen (purely cos it's like woaah they can do good stuff and wooah they didn't just teaspoon it in), Ardbeg Renaissance 1998 (cos I don't like the 10 yet this was the precursor and I Loved it), Del Maguey ChiChicapa Mezal (the 1st mezcam I had and I was like woaah this is crazy stuff), a Foursquare rum (after being disillusioned with overly sugared crap most of the time)...I think a lot of my woaahs haven't been cos they are the best drams I've had, more that I have had no or low expectations and the drams have just turned my expectations or prejudices on their head.
Top 3 "holy shit" moments: The first time I tasted a single malt ever (Glenfiddich Pure Malt in 1976), the first time I tasted Springbank (10 year old in 1986), and the first time I tasted Lagavulin (Lagavulin 16 in 1994). Many other “wow” moments along the way, mainly with independent bottlings and single-cask expressions.
well i dont feel so bad now... the 18 is ridiculous ,tastes like carmelized sugar with nuts and fudge. Will spend some time before review
For me, so far from what I have had, HP25, Hibiki 21 and OP21
I was thrilled with the 15 its friggin awesome
@Ctrexman sorry friend! The 18 is a divine pour and well worth the investment! For what it’s worth, it seems like folks are split between the 18 and the 21 as the “best” older available GD. I love the PX casks, so that’s probably why I fall down on the 21.
Well thats just terrific...just bought the 18 tonight at total wine..oh well have to slum it with that for now. Great review but yurkillinme
I have miniatures of the 18 and 21 that I've been waiting to try, and after that review they will be gone within the next few day. Mind blowing drams so far? Highland Park 18 and William LaRue Weller.
Springbank 18yo & Midleton Dair Ghaelach
For me: Hibiki 21, Springbank single cask 24yr, Yamazaki 18, Laphroaig single cask sherry 21, Talisker 21 1986 secret stills
@Ctrexman Sorry mate one more for you to add to your must try list :-)
Compass Box Circus, Hibiki 21, Lagavulin Distiller Edition, Octomore 6.3/8.3.
Haha nice review..ah the Transformers how I loved them as a kid well before Michael Bay destroyed their legacy with his shitty movies. Tis a great drop..I think personally I'm more of a 18 or 15 fan. They are all brilliant just different profiles in my mind.