Glendronach is hit or miss for me. There is no in between.
You would think that this distillery would be right up my alley based on my preferences. It’s a highland malt that focuses on sherry-cask matured, unpeated whisky. What’s not to love?
Unfortunately, there are certain expressions of Glendronach where I get an extremely powerful burnt rubber note. It’s usually just on the nose, but this is often enough to turn me off to the whole pour. I get it on the 15 year Revival but not the 18 year Allardice. The single casks are also hit or miss. You can see why I’m hesitant to try new Glendronach expressions.
When a sample of Glendronach Cask Strength Batch 6 arrived at my door thanks to Ely at @thescotchwhisperer, I was hesitant to try it at first. Then it got lost in the mix of other samples for a while and was only recently rediscovered while I was reorganizing. I figured I should get to reviewing this before it got lost again so I dove right in.
| Category | Notes |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Amber |
| Nose | Fresh mint, apple pie filling, caramel, raisins, fruitcake, fig jam, some oak in the back, milk chocolate. |
| Taste | Thick and oily with some heat. Brown sugar, big cherry note, allspice, burnt sugar, hint of honeydew melon, nutty. |
| Finish | A drying arrival of oak quickly comes out of nowhere, plenty of spice, honey, slightly earthy, dried berries, a slight mocha note is the last to fade. A nice long finish. |
| Overall Thoughts | First thing’s first. This doesn’t have that off-putting rubber note on the nose that I get in some Glendronachs. That's a big win to start. Despite coming from ex-PX and ex-Oloroso sherry casks, there’s a surprising amount of fresh fruit in this whisky. That said, this is sherry matured through and through. Tastes a bit young at times but is a solid offering. |
| Total Score | 87/100 |
