Gary

Managing apostle and whiskey enthusiast

The GlenDronach 21 Yr Parliament

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The GlenDronach 21 Yr Parliament
48% ABV
$230
Website

What the Distiller Says
Matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years, the ‘Parliament’ continues the great GlenDronach tradition of offering fruit-laden intensity in its single malts. This rich expression has been named ‘Parliament’ after the colony, or ‘parliament’, of rooks that have been nesting in the trees that overlook the GlenDronach distillery for almost 200 years. Bottled at 48%, the ‘Parliament’ is non chill filtered and of natural colour.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Deep amber with a cherry wood sheen.
NOSE: A delicate mix of ripe autumnal fruits – notably blackberries and red plums. Rich Oloroso sherry and candied orange segments. Spiced oatmeal biscuits and toasted oak fragrances bring excellent weight and balance.
PALATE: Resolute flavours of fine Oloroso sherry and bitter chocolate sauce, which has been spread liberally over homemade plum pudding. This is all infused with fabulous spicy notes – cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Full bodied with smooth tannins.
CONCLUSION: Long and lingering.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Thick sherry, fruitcake soaked in alcohol, orange marmalade with cloves, allspice, hints of toffee and leather w/ lingering vanilla pipe smoke.
Palate:  Sweet with chocolate, citrus, currants, raisins; balanced nicely with allspice and nutmeg over oak.
Finish:  Long and lingering w/ a bit of tannic smoke as it trails off.
Comments:  A sherry bomb to be sure, but delicious (if you like that sorta thing). This was the first 21 yr old single malt I ever purchased (in large part because it was only $130 back in 2017, which was a steal). A very nicely balanced dram, with a bit more spice and oak to go with all that dark fruit sweetness. While delicious, if offered a free pour of this or the 15 yr Revival – I think I’d go with the 15 yr.
Rating: Stands Out

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Review Archive – Updated!

/ / Gary's Blog

With over 600 reviews (and counting!), decided it was time to try to make some improvements and organize our Review Archive. Thanks to the United States declaring independence (and more to the point – having a holiday about it to provide some free time!), we’ve added a Table of Contents at the top so you can quickly jump to a section rather than scrolling. The categorization isn’t perfect (yes, there is North American whisky under the “Other” category) but with 17 categories – not planning on making more granular until it makes sense. For example – with a whopping 2 Corn Whiskies, not creating a new segment there (although with growth, an ‘American Single Malt’ category may make sense).

Hope this helps everyone find what they’re looking for a little easier/faster!

Cheers!
Gary

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The GlenDronach 18 Yr Old Allardice

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The GlenDronach 18yr Allardice
46% ABV
$160
Website

What the Distiller Says
The GlenDronach 18 years old has been named after the renowned founder of the distillery, James Allardice. This exceptional sherried single malt is non chill filtered and of natural colour. Matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 46%, this sublime richly sherried malt is truly unforgettable.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Bright deep gold with a tawny centre.
NOSE: Sweet aromatics of fudge and Muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.
PALATE: Rich dark and seductive. Remarkable flavours of stewed fruits and all-spice marry together with classic aged Oloroso sherry and toasted walnut bread combined with chocolate orange.
CONCLUSION: Tremendously complex and long.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Sherried fruit with cloves, musty oak, and leather with hints of smoke.
Palate:  Sweet and soft upon entry, chocolate orange that gradually builds in pepper spice.
Finish:  Moderate in length and drying.
Comments:  This is lighter in color than the 15 yr Revival, and also less intense in the sherry sweetness with a bit more of a spice edge. I get more citrus notes here rather than the dark fruits I often associate with sherry. Nothing objectionable to me; a lovely dram, but after tasting the 15yr Revival, I was a bit underwhelmed by comparison.
Rating: Stands Out

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The GlenDronach 15 Yr Old Revival

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky /

The GlenDronach 15 yr Revival
46% ABV
$85
Website
(Note – no mention of this product on their web-site)

What the Distiller Says
Exclusively matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso Sherry Casks. Non-chill filtered. Natural colour.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Deep gold with a lovely mahogany heart.
NOSE: Incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange. Nutty notes and vanilla.
PALATE: A very dynamic and full bodied dram. Chewy with coffee, chocolate and treacle scones.
FINISH: A veritable feast to enliven the senses.

What Gary Says
Nose:  Thick and rich; plums drizzled with balsamic vinegar, a hint of bbq sauce and peachs with soft oak.
Palate:  Lovely sweetness – sherry with pears and dark chocolate, cinnamon and nutmeg sprinkled on top.
Finish:  Moderately long in length with a slight pepper spice note trailing.
Comments:  Damn – this is delicious whisky! In color, it is darker than the 18 yr, and I found that I preferred the nose on this over both the 18 yr AND the 21 yr. This was one of those drams where after tasting it, I immediately wondered where in the hell I could get a bottle. In that twist to Murphy’s law, of course I find this was discontinued in 2015 (but allegedly returning at some point in 2018?) I hope they do bring this back, as this is my favorite offering thus far. Complex, sweet, balanced . . . downright freaking delicious. I’d definitely keep my eyes peeled, as 2015 isn’t that far back; might get lucky and find one in the wild!
Rating: Must Buy

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The GlenDronach ‘Peated’

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky /

The GlenDronach ‘Peated’
46% ABV
$45
Website
(Important note for those in the United States:  On the site’s landing page, select United Kingdom as the country or it will auto-direct by location, and you won’t see the content; I couldn’t find a way around that!  If it auto-selects United States, you may have to clear cookies/cache to be prompted)

What the Distiller Says
In contrast to the traditional, non-peated character of the GlenDronach, this particular whisky has, unusually, been distilled using peated malted barley. The GlenDronach ‘Peated’ pays homage to the peat historically used to dry the malted barley in the traditional floor matlings during the early days of the distillery. The subtle peated notes in this intriguing expression complement the classic GlenDronach Highland character and the rich sherry notes drawn from the wood.

TASTING NOTES
APPEARANCE: Vivid harvest gold.
NOSE: A delightful aroma of ripe gooseberries dusted with cinnamon sugar combines with a contrasting crisp citrus twist. The delicate peat influence gives a smouldering charred wood character filled with freshly ground barley and hints of vanilla toffee.
PALATE: Vibrant oak spices and floral heather honey develop to rosehips and barley sugars, all warmed by a touch of white pepper. Subtle peat notes complement the palate by giving a delicate depth and dryness of glowing campfire embers.
CONCLUSION: A unique marriage of crisp fruit and barley-laden Highland characteristics surrounded by gentle peat smoke, intriguingly reminiscent of heather burning in the distant glens.

What Gary Says
Nose: Peat, sweet sea brine over husky, vegetal notes with a hint of iodine.
Palate: Sweet malt, notes of fruit salad underneath earthy peat and pepper.
Finish: Short and dry.
Comments: GlenDronach is typically a ‘sherry bomb’ single malt, so this peated offering is a significant departure from their traditional line. I like to see folks reach and try new things, and while this is interesting, it delivers peat but falls short for me if I’m looking for a peated single malt. It left me wanting to reach for some other Islay whisky.
Rating: Average

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