There is an old saying, "every rule has an exception", and that eveb applies to the almighty Glendronach, a distillery that seemed undefeated in my humble critics. I have had quite a few of Glendronach's Cask Strength releases, and i just gave a perfect score to a couple of them, but the latest expression, Batch No. 12, was not my favorite. Bottled at 58.2%abv, it has been matured in oloroso and Px sherry casks. On the nose it starts buttery and young. White wine, white chocolate and almonds. It smells like "new make" whisky too much. It appears overly young. On the palate it is slightly better. White chocolate, almonds, spices. peppery feeling. Afteraste again feels young, with blurred notes of bitter chocolate and spices. Overall, not much happened here. This is the first time that you put the words "Glendronach", "Oloroso", "Cask Strength" and "Pedro Ximenez" together and you dont get complexity, beautiful aroma notes and a rewarding finish. A very average dram, underwhelming and a little dissapointing, my score for it is 85 over 100, and i believe this might be the lowest score i have given to a whisky from my favorite distillery.
About this bottle
GlenDronach based in the Scottish Highlands is known for their sherried single malts, so it's no surprise that a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks were used for the maturation of this cask strength expression. The barrels were selected by GlenDronach Master Blender Rachel Barrie. This Highlands single malt carries no age statement and is bottled without chill filtration or added coloring. The 12th batch was released at 58.2% ABV. Available in the US beginning May 2023. (SRP $104.99)
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 7 parsed reviews.
Compared to batch 11, and 12 is somehow better than Batch 11... In Batch 11 the dry sherry note reigns, whereas in 12 the sherry finish cannot be discerned directly, all the elements with the base spirit mingling and covering for one another, becoming more symphonic and balanced, delivering a better mouthfeel. A top 10 pick by Whiskey Advocate, and while their picks are controversial, they singled out a great batch.
One intense and expressive expression with notes of prunes, raspberries, nutella, malt, blueberries, honey, cinnamon, baked red apples, butterscotch, toffee, and date syrup. This would benefit with more barrel aging given the sharpness off the first taste hinting a lot of young stuff was vatted into this expression.
Color: Rich, deep amber Body: thick , slow moving droplets Smell: smoke, dark chocolate, nutty, rich Taste: thick on the tongue, nutty, chocolate bitter, fruity tinge at the end with caramel Finish: slow moving, good warming burn in the chest, thick
This baby really opened up with some water. Dark chocolate, sweet rich fruity flavors, but without water a tad bit too much alcohol bite for my liking. A few drops of water make this so sweet and rich with a beautiful balance of oak
This is a milk chocolate bomb in the best way
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