Whisky Review: Glendronach 21 Year Parliament

Glendronach Parliament has capped their standard lineup since it was refreshed. I initially intended to add it to my earlier review, but neglected it for long enough that the miniature had gone bad by the time I got to it. So I was glad to be able to get a fresher sample from Whiskysite.nl to finally give it some proper attention.

Unlike the younger Revival and Allardice expressions (until the 15 Year's refresh), this included PX casks alongside the more standard oloroso sherry casks. Was that the result of weaker casks being reracked to give them more punch? Or just to sweeten whisky that was getting tannic? The final result was also given a lift by being bottled at 48% instead of 46%, giving it a little more heft, as always without coloring or chill filtration.

Glendronach 21 Year Parliament

Nose: a heavy overlay of rather dry sherry, savory tannic oak, sweet malt and vanilla underneath, cinnamon, lime, lightly floral. After adding a few drops of water the sherry becomes creamier, nuttier, and a little sweeter (more PX influence?), while the malt and vanilla become more prominent.

Taste: opens with sweet and sour sherry, nutty cherry notes in the middle, bittersweet at the back with sweeter sherry and dry oak tannins. After dilution the flavors come into focus with brighter sherry and darker oak, some fizzy/peppery notes come out from the middle back, and there are some tropical fruit overtones throughout.

Finish: sweet sherry, oak tannins, nutty malt, umami/savory notes

While this is clearly older than Allardice, the oak has become a bit too tannic. There is some compensation in complexity, especially on the nose and the flavors with a little dilution (which makes me wonder what this would have been like bottled at 46% to begin with), but the overall results don't grab me, especially given the 50% bump in price. As always, both my wallet and I are perfectly happy to prefer the cheaper whisky.

Whisky Review: Glendronach 18 Year Revisited

Glendronach has gone through a number of changes since the last time I reviewed their core lineup. The 15 Year disappeared for three years due to supply constraints, returning after their warehouses filled up sufficiently. Maybe more importantly, the group that they were a part of with Benriach and Glenglassaugh was sold to Brown-Forman in 2016, removing them as some of the few remaining (major) independent distilleries in Scotland.

But ultimately it's about the whisky. This is aged exclusively in oloroso sherry casks, then bottled at 46% without coloring or chill filtration. According to the math, this whisky is far older than it says on the bottle and will be until new stocks become available next year.

I purchased this sample from Whiskysite.nl

Glendronach 18 Year

Nose: rich, dry oloroso sherry, cocoa powder, vanilla, citrus (lemon), sour unripe fruit, baked apples, clean malt underneath. After adding a few drops of water the chocolate notes are amplified over everything else, the sherry becomes sweeter and fudgier, more sour malt emerges, and a little oak comes out.

Taste: thick, bittersweet sherry up front with citrus peel in the background, a slightly sour overlay throughout, fades into sweeter sherry with moderately tannic oak at the back. After dilution it becomes softer and sweeter overall, with less oak and more floral malt at the back, and slightly washed out flavors

Finish: nutty sherry, dry dark chocolate, mild oak tannins with a smoky edge, citrus peel, sweet malt

In all honesty, I feel like Glendronach's spirit is getting a little long in the tooth. This is still almost as good as I remember it, but the oak is starting to get the upper hand in a way that detracts from the spirit. But some of that might just be the effects of packaging this as a sample, so I'm still seriously thinking about grabbing a few bottles before the reset next year. The reviews of the rebooted Glendronach Revival make me suspicious that the new spirit won't measure up to what was made with old stocks, especially if they decide to throw PX sherry casks into the mix to give the product extra 'depth'.

Whisky Review: Glendronach Single Cask 19 Year 1995/2015 for WhiskyBase

Over the last few years Glendronach has been bottling a huge array of single casks, usually either oloroso or PX sherry. Many have helped to reinforce their status as one of the premier sherry-driven malts in Scotland. Quite a number have been private bottlings for various stores and organizations, which include this one for WhiskyBase.

This was distilled on September 20th 1995, possibly filled directly into a PX sherry puncheon, then bottled in August 2015 at 54.2% without coloring or chill filtration in an outturn of 694.

I got a couple of samples as freebies in WhiskyBase orders (this may say something about how well the bottles have been selling).

Glendronach Single Cask 19 Year 1995/2015 PX Sherry Puncheon #3804 for WhiskyBase

Nose: rich but somewhat subdued sherry, brown butter, vanilla, salted roast peanuts, fresh waffle cones, dark chocolate, fresh sawdust, herbal, rhubarb, orange, apricot, strawberry. After adding a few drops of water the cookie/waffle cone notes are amplified and integrate with the sherry, while the chocolate gets darker.

Taste: big but moderately sweet sherry throughout, hints of malt underneath, kind of hot in the middle, shifts towards savory and bittersweet oak near the back. After dilution it becomes kind of flat but the alcohol heat is almost completely banished.

Finish: savory, yeast, sherry residue/raisins, malt in the background, cacao nibs

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with this whisky - it's a solid representation of the style - but it just doesn't excite me right now. It especially doesn't excite me to the tune of $150. The nose is easily the best part and offers some nice savory notes, but the palate is just too flat to justify the price. Reading reviews on WhiskyBase it sounds like a lot of other people agree. The fact that this is still available when all of the oloroso single casks appear to have sold out says a lot. It's possible that there are better Glendronach single casks out there, but given their exponentially rising prices I doubt I'll ever try any of them.

Whisky Review: Whisky Galore Glendronach 13 Year 1990/2003

Glendronach is rightly famous for its sherry cask matured whisky. But when Allied owned the distillery they filled a fair amount of the spirit into ex-bourbon casks, likely destined for blends. While most of them were used for their intended purpose, a small number were picked up by independent bottlers and released as single malts. This particular cask is important for two reasons - it was made from Glendronach's moderately peated (14 PPM) floor malt and with coal-fired stills. The malting floors were closed in 1996 and the stills changed to steam coils in 2005, so what is currently being distilled should be noticeably different.

Whisky Galore was a line from Duncan Taylor roughly analogous to their current NC2 line - most were bottled at 46% and all were bottled without coloring or chill filtration.

Thanks to Michael Kravitz for the sample.

Whisky Galore Glendronach 13 Year 1990/2003

Nose: Starburst candy, bubblegum, something vinous, vaguely floral, very light herbal peat, a touch of coastal influence, clean malt, oak in the background. After adding a few drops of water, everything pulls together and becomes more integrated, while the malt shows up more clearly and the fruit is a little bit more subdued.

Taste: moderately sweet up front with strong fruit (grape, apples, berries, banana?) esters on top, herbal peat and light bourbon cask character sneak into the background and hang around throughout the palate, becomes maltier around the middle, there's a bump of peat near the back, then it shifts back to malt. After dilution, there is more integration, the apple notes are amplified, and the oak provides more backbone.

Finish: clean malt, more floral, apple/pear esters in the background, herbal/vegetal peat, chocolate oak

This is the type of whisky that is, sadly, rather difficult to find anymore. With most distilleries chasing increasingly intense flavors, whether that be oak, sherry, or peat, the middle ground has been largely hollowed out. Glendronach is best known and celebrated for its intensely sherried whiskies and they are without a doubt very good, but I'm now two for two on bourbon cask releases from the distillery. This hits all of the classic Highland notes of fruit and malt with just enough peat to add complexity and with the cask speaking but not overwhelming the spirit. It's not mind-blowing, but it is very good, especially for something relatively young.

Experimental Whisky: Benriach 34 Year/Glendronach 33 Year Blend

My birthday whiskies from the last couple of years are just about finished, but I couldn't resist blending a bit of them together, especially because the two are now owned by Billy Walker (this could only be better if I had a bit of old Glenglassaugh to add to the mix).

How do these two old whiskies play with each other?

Benriach 34 Year/Glendronach 33 Year Blend

Nose: peaches/apricots, mango, grape/cognac, oily/creamy malt, hints of something green/herbal, gently floral heather,  solid but not overwhelming oak, light caramel. After adding a few drops of water, the fruit is toned down and the herbal/grassy notes become stronger, the malt becomes grainier, with some oak-y raisin notes coming out, making for a more austere effect overall.

Taste: big stone fruit notes throughout, a wash of honey and fresh malt with raisin undertones in the middle, that fades into green/herbal notes through more bittersweet oak at the very back. After dilution, the stone fruit notes and oak integrate with the malt, giving a more direct experience, but with sharper oak near the back.

Finish: raisins, oak tannins, malt, stone fruit, herbal, floral, and just a touch of soap

This is a great display of the power of blending - the best parts of each single malt have been pulled forward, while the flaws have been reduced significantly, leaving the whole greater than the sum of its parts. This reminds me off a Caperdonich I sampled a while back, with the combination of fruit esters and herbal notes over fairly mild oak, though this is, despite being a similar strength, much less aggressively alcoholic.

Whisky Review: Duncan Taylor Glendronach 33 Year - Three Generations

This was a bottling put together to commemorate the three generations of the Shand family to work at Glendronach: Albert Shand was the distillery manager in 1975 when the spirit was distilled, Euan Shand (who now owns Duncan Taylor) was a trainee at the time and coopered the cask that the spirit was aged in, and his son Andrew Shand bottled the cask in 2008.

This whisky comes from a single ex-bourbon cask that was bottled at 51.4% without coloring or chill filtration.

Duncan Taylor Glendronach 33 Year 1975/2008 

Nose: beeswax/honeycomb, lots of clean malt, lightly floral (violets and roses), green fruits (apples, pears), jammy berries, mango, a sake/rice edge, caramel, dusty oak, whole milk dairy creaminess, musky vanilla bean, very mild peat in the background, green tea. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes darker - more jammy fruit, the oak becomes more pronounced and polished, some baking chocolate pops out, and the malts retreats,

Taste: honied barley and wood sugars up front, becoming floral, peppery, and tannic with berry and apple overtones around the middle, with a touch of peat and grainy bitterness plus increasing oak near the back. After dilution, the berry/fruit notes ride on top of everything, while the floral notes fade significantly and the oak becomes much more tannic.

Finish: mild oak, floral malt, beeswax, very mild peat, a touch of sandalwood incense

For having spent over three decades in oak, this whisky is surprisingly fresh. Yes, there is a fairly heavy dose of oak tannins to give it backbone, but the malt is very present and almost green, though that may have to do with the moderate level of peat (14 PPM) used in Glendronach's floor maltings. Overall I find this to be a really classic example of an older bourbon cask malt, with the combination of floral and fruit flavors one gets from alcohol and acids getting plenty of time to turn into esters. I'm glad that Duncan Taylor didn't leave it in the cask any longer as I suspect it might have become overly tannic after too many more years in oak - this is creeping up towards the edge but doesn't slip over. It's also an interesting contrast to the more common ex-sherry cask style that Glendronach is known for. I've tried most of their core range and enjoyed all of them, but all three are very sherry-driven, so this was a way to get to know the distillery's spirit in a more 'naked' form.

I was lucky enough to not only find this whisky on sale, but also split it with friends. I might not have taken a risk on it by myself and it's always interesting to get different angles on the same whisky. Both MAO and Michael enjoyed it quite a lot, with similar but not quite the same notes.

If you'd like to try this one, it's theoretically still available from Binny's for $200, which is a pretty significant chunk of change, but not absurd for a whisky of this age and vintage nowadays. I paid $170 and felt like I got a reasonable deal for a special occasion bottle, especially since I was able to split the cost.

Whisky Review: GlenDronach Vertical Tasting - 12, 15, and 18 Year

For my 200th post, I'm going to take a look at three of the standard expressions from GlenDronach.

The history of the GlenDronach distillery stretches back to 1826 when it was founded by James Allardice in the northeast corner of the Speyside region, making it one of the earliest licensed distilleries in Scotland. It was extremely successful during the 19th century, paying the highest duties of any distillery in the country. Over the centuries, the distillery passed through a number of hands until ended up with Allied Distillers, who mothballed it in 1996. It was restarted in 2002 and was held briefly by Chivas Brothers before being bought by the owners of the newly independent BenRiach distillery in 2008.

Under the ownership of BenRiach, GlenDronach has significantly changed their line-up, moving towards more of a craft presentation with the abandonment of chill-filtration and most expressions being bottled at 46% ABV or above. One of the main things that has not changed is that GlenDronach's whiskies are all matured, at least initially, in ex-sherry European oak casks. This tends to put their whisky on the rich and sweet end of the spectrum.

GlenDronach 12 Year 'Original'

Nose: medium-rich creamy oloroso/amontillado sherry, a slightly sour tinge, fresh grapes, raisins, berries, underlying malt, light vanilla, slightly floral, milk chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking spices, romano cheese. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes softer and more malty, with more integration of the sherry, floral, and malt aromas, plus bigger milk chocolate and vanilla.

Taste: medium floral and sherry sweetness up front, early big pepper, dueling malt and sherry at the back, with bitter cacao at the back and a bit of sourness throughout. After dilution, it becomes more rounded and only drops off a bit at the end, with the initial sweetness and pepper becoming more integrated and brighter sherry notes and the addition of some vanilla.

Finish: bitter and slightly astringent, but not very oaky, malt, pepper, sherry. After dilution it becomes more tannic with the addition of some dark chocolate.

I think this is a very solid whisky for their entry-level single malt. Bottled at 43%, it has a decent amount of body. However, it did lose a bit after adding water, so I do think it would be a stronger contender at 46%. While sherry is very present, it hasn't yet completely overwhelmed the malt, like some sherried whiskies. This is a little bit surprising as the whisky going into this expression is aged in both ex-oloroso and ex-PX sherry casks, though that may mean that there are more refill rather than first fill casks involved. I'd place it right in between the 12 year old single malts from Aberlour and Glenfarclas in terms of the level of sherry influence. With that said, I'm not sure it's a great value, as both of those other two are significantly cheaper here in Oregon. However, the balance may tip depending on where you live (for instance, it's only $40 from Hi-Time Wine Cellars) and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them.

GlenDronach 15 Year 'Revival'

Nose: much richer sherry (more first-fill casks?), raisin sweetness, some fresh berries, hints of floral malt, vanilla, rancio - well-aged cheese, dark chocolate (60-70%), coffee. After adding a few drops of water, chocolate becomes the dominant aroma, with sherry underneath, more funky rancio notes, blackberry liqueur, more oak, a bit perfume-y, hint of baking spices, and an overall increase in creaminess.

Taste: smooth but ponderous sherry sweetness up front, big but less bright pepper, bittersweet cacao, mild oak, perfumed. After dilution, it retains the smooth start but with less sweetness, then sweet berries and pepper hit mid-palate, with cacao nibs in dark chocolate at the back.

Finish: bittersweet sherry, cacao and light oak tannins, baking spices, and a certain sharpness

The 15 year old is bottled at a solid 46% and clearly has much more sherry influence. Aged exclusively in ex-oloroso sherry casks, the richness comes through very clearly. This is edging right up to the line of overwriting the malt, with only hints of its agricultural origins left in the nose. However, it is balanced by the more bitter notes on the nose and palate. It very much feels like a dessert dram and would not be out of place next to a roaring fire on a winter evening. While priced too high in Oregon for me to consider it a good value here, it's only $72 from Hi-Time, which is a much more attractive proposition.

GlenDronach 18 Year 'Allardice'

Nose: dark, rich, savory oloroso sherry, bright raspberries, hints of malt and vanilla, sweetened oatmeal, maple syrup, 60% dark chocolate, a touch of coffee. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes dustier, with the sherry and chocolate dominating, the fresh berries are still present but in diminished form, the raspberries seem more like a compote, and buttery sugar cookies emerge.

Taste: sweet and creamy sherry and berries, pepper comes in mid-palate, a bright burst of oatmeal, dark chocolate, and maple syrup, leading into a bittersweet finish. After dilution, there is a distinct sense of an acidic raspberry tang overlaid on the creamy sweetness up front, pepper is slightly diminished, and the chocolate becomes more like cacao nibs.

Finish: berries, pepper, sweet sherry, a touch of oak, oatmeal.

Like the 15 year old, the 18 year old is bottled at 46% and aged exclusively in ex-oloroso sherry casks. I really like how it seems to have turned a corner, returning to a certain kind of graininess on the nose and palate. However, it definitely seems more like sweetened oatmeal than malt, to me. The sherry also seems a bit less in your face than the 15 year old, which is pleasant. Maybe there were more refill casks in the mix? The only major downside is the price - it's usually well above $100, which is pretty spendy territory. While previously it was an exceptional deal from the UK, that route is somewhat closed off right now if you're like me and live in one of the countries where shipping is now excluded (or at least stinkin' expensive). However, if you can still take advantage of their lower prices, this is a fabulous sherried whisky that I would love to drink more often.

This was a really interesting set of whiskies to try. There's a very strong familial resemblance between all three - a pattern of initial sweetness, then a big burst of pepper mid-palate, the combination of sherry and chocolate on the nose, and a fairly bittersweet finish. This gives the series a strong sense of evolution - the details changing, but the core of the whisky remains the same.

Last, but not least, I want to take a moment to thank GlenDronach for releasing such a nice little pack of miniatures. It's really nice when distilleries put them together and I really wish more would do this as a way to promote their products. Not too many people are going to plonk down the cash for their older bottlings without tasting them first and this is a pretty cost-effective way to get a sneak peek.