GlenDronach Cask Strength Batch 8

Note - I'm doing the Really Good Whisky Company Advent Calendar. I've also decided to pour these whiskeys "blind" (or at least as blind as I can), then providing nose, palate, and finish notes. I'll then look at the label, proof, cask type, etc. before writing my other notes. I'll be providing some guesses around things like proof and cask type and then seeing how much I missed the mark. Slàinte Mhath! Nose: Salted caramel, bitter chocolate. Vanilla. Floral, citrus oils and pith. Some oak character. Definitely a single malt. Speyside? Berries, malt, and honey. Going to guess around 55%+ abv. 10-15 years? Ex-bourbon? Plums, figs, raisins. Nutmeg and black pepper. Not crazy, just a pleasant, subtle experience. Palate: Plenty of oak here - bitey. Guessing some sherry cask is involved, too, since there's a musty red fruit character. Black pepper, baking spices. Grilled under-ripe nectarines. Olives - green and black. Cherries, chocolate, and over-roasted coffee beans. Great balance between flavors, everything is just turned up to 11. Coats the whole palate and unfolds beautifully. Medium-heavy mouthfeel. Finish: Big rush of ethanol and oak, followed very quickly by dark fruits. Maple syrup and berry pie filling wash over, and then espresso joins in. Barrel char is evident, along with some over-roasted peanuts. A little mint, citrus oil, and floral perfume become apparent, and that's what we fade out on. Long length. Other notes: Didn't get region, only partially got cask (there isn't any ex-bourbon), off a bit on abv, and only partially got age. And I'm perfectly fine with that! I like this. Quite a bit. The rich, dense sweetness layered with the potent oak at a high ABV is excellent. Sherry casks can sometimes turn things into overly sweet, sulphur-forward funk bombs, but that's not the case here. The flavors are all well integrated and you can still tell there's a malt whisky in there. And as a proof hound, getting this at 61% makes me even happier. This would make an excellent dessert whisky. Another one to add to the list of things I may actually try to find a bottle of. This advent has been a total blast. I've learned a lot about my own palate, preferences, and experienced a lot of things I wouldn't have tried either due to accessibility or preferences. While my preferences are still toward Bourbon and Islay, I am much more open to others than I was beforehand. It was also a lot of fun to exercise my palate and see how well I'm able to pick apart certain attributes. I'm excited to do this again next year and see how my performance compares. As a palate development tool, blind tastings are killer - I high recommend it. Thanks for joining me on this ride. Until next time, cheers!

Perfection. That is my review, thank you very much, we will meet on my next whisky review... Ok, i think you deserve more analysis from me, a guy who loves Glendronach, and now is obsessed with this bottle. This whisky is just amazing. I now know there are other 7 batches, so, we can safely say the journey on great drams has just started. Bottled at 61%abv, tawny natural color. Matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks. On the nose, a work of art. The most powerful Mocca Aroma, Coffee, Chocolate. Oranges, Orange Marmalade, dark chocolate. Dehydrated oranges, like turkish delight. After the first sip, you get maraschino cherries and more chocolate. Cough syrup, cotton candy, sugar syrup; humid notes also present, like an old library. The palate is so good, no alcohol, just amazing flavors: orange syrup, milk chocolate, brown sugar, maple honey and peaches in syrup. Everything surrounded by a peppery note, absolutely incredible. Aftertaste is also marvelous. Coffee, oranges and some sulphuric notes. There is this pepper note mix with dark chocolate. It also gave me hay, chocolate milk powder and a mild smoke. Even the empty glass is an experience. It smells like an american breakfast restaurant, pancakes and maple. OUT OF THIS WORLD. Overall, go buy this now. Great price, great whisky i have no doubt it will be in my top ten whiskies of this year, and i have give it a 100 over 100 score, because it is perfect. Don't even share it, keep it to yourself. Sláinte Mhath.

Gotta love these "expert" reviews. Jake Emen gave this a 90...I can't even get to words how absurd that is. but anyway. So yeah this is supposed to be mostly 10 year whisky but it's NAS so we're sure they dumped bad low age stated stuff in here. Nose - so sharp and acidic, the alcohol is brutal. Chocolate and vanilla along with citrus and again more alcohol. Water tames the alcohol but same notes otherwise. taste - young and spirited. The PX gives sweetness and vanilla and chocolate while the oloros gives some dark chocolates and perhaps some fruits. Water makes the whisky more bitter though still focuses on the same profile, I am ok with or without. A perfectly drinkable super proofed scotch but the youth and quality here are nothing special. A solid 2.0 average whisky. Again the idea this is a 90 is so absurd I can't even start. This is more a 75 if you're a big fan of this style or a 65 if you aren't. in no world is this a 90. That said this is massive HUGE upgrade from the terrible batch 7. I rather am enjoying this but the price at 100 for this seems off. This isn't close to 100 dollar whisky.

The first of three drams from a recent visit to the Flatiron Room in Manhattan - This is the second Glendronach Cask Strength I've sampled, with the first being Batch 2. While Batch 8 is certainly not bad, I liked Batch 2 more. I love Glendronach, mainly because of the rich, full, and multi-note sherry finishes. This sherry notes in Batch 8 are less promintent and less spectacular than some of my favorite Glendronachs, with a more prominent spiciness present here. Unfortunately, the spiciness is somewhat non-descript. This is one I'll try again if I have the chance. More than most other whiskies, my palate responds differently to Glendronach with each tasting. I'm not sure why that is. For now, I find this to be a pleasant, easy and reasonably enoyable whisky, but not among Glendronach's best

A- amber +2, high viscosity N- w/water: raisins, dried fruits, apricots, plums, toffee, vanilla, milk chocolate, burned sugar, licorice, rum cake P- w/water: spicy arrival, rich, full, oily, sweet ( toffee, vanilla, milk chocolate, brûlée), apricots, plums, raisins, briny, rum cake, wet oak F- long finish, sweet-oaky-licorice aftertaste C- just opened this bottle I was curious since I've been reading and hearing mix reviews about this one and IMO it's good 61% ABV it's a beast and even at that ABV is enjoyable and balanced (of course a bit hot but who doesn't like a punch in the face from a sherry bomb)will let it seat and oxidized for 1 month and see how it evolves

A sixty-one percent cask strength sherry bomb... Great color with a thick, lasting coat and legs for days. Sweet molasses, dark fruits, and a soft spice on the nose - surprisingly subtle for a 60%+ ABV. Rich and spicy on the palate with a prominent bite of oloroso sherry, candied almonds, rich honey, maple syrup, and a mocha coffee finish. Overall, a sharp but well-tamed cask strength dram from the venerable GlenDronach.