GlenDronach Revival 15 Year (2018 Re-Release)

I was thinking 1000, what to taste? A closed distillery? An older aged statement of an open one? Something obscure? There are still a few of those tucked away but then I thought conceptually wise what really makes them special? You see those shows where top chefs are driven to experiment further, wider more wildly more creatively and then one day for whatever reason, often disillusionment or burn out or feeling like they want to get off the treadmill, they step away go back to where it all started, often literally by walking around their garden and try to remember what made it special for them in the beginning, often stripping everything back to the basics. I'm definitely not a top chef (my cooking is barely edible) and i'm not a top anything but the concept resonated with me. Where did it all begin, what were the moments at the beginning where my mind was expanded in a big way, my eyes opened. There were a few but whisky wise 6ish so years ago when i started my journey it would have been one of the Glendronach's, my memory is a bit crap so whilst positive it was one of the earliest was it the first...not sure but it was an eye opener even after a year open. Glendronach 15 the Original...man that was a special dram..and selling for around $60USD at the time..... those were the days.. Now I ran a tasting which included this a Glendronach 12 year Sauternes and a Glendronach 14 year Virgin Oak...yeah a long time ago it was. It blew a few people's minds who like me were also getting into whisky. One of them ran out and bought ever single last bottle of the 15 year he could find (literally)..which at the time was a single retailer in our city Wellington. After that it was gone....I searched later...none left in the whole country (there is one now selling for $350USD!)...Now several weeks ago after extensive horse trading I managed to get one of those bottles from him (he got an 18 yr plus loads of other goodies). The top was rusted (no idea where he was storing it) but it was mine...along with the one last bottle of the 14 year virgin oak I saved. Now in addition I got hold of the new Glendronach 15 Revival Version 2. So you see where this is going.. yes ladies and gentlemen..a head to head old verses new...at the danger of degrading my old memories is it still awesome? Is the new version a pale imitation or a faithful recreation? Now it dawned on me that there may not be any scenario which results in a happy ending out of this experience. Either the new isn't as good as the old or it is but then I get burnt at the stake as a heretic as people swear it isn't or it is initially but with time open the old bottle gets better and the new fades away. Or even the old isn't as good as I remember so I've tarnished my memories. Or maybe I let bias creep in and I get someone else to pour them and I taste blind. Arggghhhh the overcomplication of it all... I then thought back to the concept...keeping stuff simple..taste both, enjoy one or the other or both (or not as the case maybe) and make a call based on what I know about what I have at the moment I tasted it. And so I did....now as you may have spotted there was no rating. I couldn't give the ending away now could I :-). I gave both time and then took a sniff. Straight away you could tell the difference..pure caramelized toffee deep rich on the old whiskey; you could deeply inhale and drown your nasal cavities in its depth. The newer edition you could tell had the red berried fruitier px influence. You could tell it's relevative youth but still lovely. I generally am an Oloroso man through and through so I did have prejudices going into this but I liked both on the nose but the old variant definitely captured my heart. My memory is often faulty but the thing I remembered about the old held true..that smell..it took me back years. On the palate the nose translated similarly..younger spicier and more ethanol fwd with water. The old... man that rich caramelized toffee. Slightly shorter finish then I remember but the bottle had been open all of a hour so I know what is coming over the months and years I savor this.. usually I give bottles away this I will hold onto..eeking out a dram here and there every so often over time. I knew I shouldn't spoil the moment and compare but I busted out a sample of the old 18 as well. As great as ever but oddly despite also being pure oloroso a lot spicier than the old 15 yr. So what do I prefer. Sadly the old 15 year is just an amazing dram better even than the old stock 18. The new 15 whilst showing it's youth is also a great dram I'd be saying 4.25 to 4.5 easily and makes me question the old 18...the old 15 however ah man why oh dear god why did I not stock up. I'd like to thank everyone i've interacted with on my journey on this site. The notes I've enjoyed reading, the comments and banter I've had and despite the tens of thousands of kilometers distance between some of us the 'aromatherapy samples' we have managed to sneak past customs :-). mo bhuíochas is doimhne

I hadn't had the chance to try the original 15 Revival so I can't compare this to its predecessor. That was aged exclusively in Olrosso sherry casks while this one also spent time in PX casks. Nose: Absolute sherry bomb, as one would expect from Glendronach. Loads of dark fruits: dark cherries, plums, blackberries, and grapes. I also get the new car leather I often associate with sherried scotch. Cola, dark chocolate, vanilla, banana, and, toffee round what is a very sweet nose. Palate: Heavy sherry once again. Cola and Christmas pound cake. Plum, fig, and cocoa. It's got a velvety texture. All very standard notes for a sherried Highland, though I find this to be the most rich and cohesive of the bunch that I've tried so far. Finish: Sharp transition from sweet to heat, which I'm enjoying. There's a nice kick that reminds me that this one is a bit stronger than the average Scotch at 46%. Cinnamon and pepper spice, moderate to long finish. I hadn't had the chance to try the original 15 Revival so I can't compare this to its predecessor. That was aged exclusively in Olrosso sherry casks while this one also spent time in PX casks. Nose: Absolute sherry bomb, as one would expect from Glendronach. Loads of dark fruits: dark cherries, plums, blackberries, and grapes. I also get the new car leather I often associate with sherried scotch. Cola, dark chocolate, vanilla, banana, pear, and, toffee round what is a very sweet nose. Milk chocolate and caramel as well. Strawberry. Raspberry. Palate: Heavy sherry once again. Cola and Christmas pound cake. Plum, fig, and cocoa. It's got a velvety texture. All very standard notes for a sherried Highland, though I find this to be the most rich and cohesive of the bunch that I've tried so far. Vanilla and toffee. Orange citrus. Milk chocolate. Honey. Strawberry. Macadamia and almond. Finish: Sharp transition from sweet to heat, which I'm enjoying. There's a nice kick that reminds me that this one is a bit stronger than the average Scotch at 46%. Apple, pear, plum. Cinnamon and pepper spice, moderate to long finish. Overall, a solid sherried Highland. Upon cracking the bottle, I had this pegged as a shoo-in for 5-star rating. I was prepared to write it up as a game-changing, bar-setting Highland malt. Almond, walnut, and macadamia. After a month and a few subsequent tastings, I've determined that while it's far above average, it doesn't quite reach the summit. It's damn good, and if you see for it under $100, I'd highly recommend a purchase. At $90, I think it's a fine value. Bottled at 46% with dual sherried cask aging, this is a respectable dram. This and it's 12 year old younger brother are fantastic values, and I look forward to trying the 18 next. So far, Glendronach stands out as the pound-for-pound king of sherried Highland Scotch, and that's due in no small to the fine effort produced with this 15 year old. After a month and a few subsequent tastings, I've determined that while it's far above average, it doesn't quite reach the summit. It's damn good, and if you see for it under $100, I'd highly recommend a purchase. At $90, I think it's a fine value. Bottled at 46% with dual sherried cask aging, this is a respectable dram. This and it's 12 year old younger brother are fantastic values, and I look forward to trying the 18 next. So far, Glendronach stands out as the pound-for-pound king of sherried Highland Scotch, and that's due in no small to the fine effort produced with this 15 year old. I’m back 6 and a half years later with another bottle. I’ve had many more sherried-Highland single malts since, and the above statement has only been reinforced. This is outstanding. Especially the palate. Sometimes the Highland profile can get stale if you’re trying a variety of bourbon barrel and even sherry casks-aged offerings. This one has a distinct, powerful, and delightful profile. I swear the first sip felt like seeing in color for the first time. Okay. Maybe not. But it was enough to put the whisky at the forefront of my existence, ahead of my thoughts and concerns of the day. Can’t recommend enough. It’s only gone up $10 all this time, now at $100–knock on wood-this has essentially been inflation-proof. Boosted to 4.75. Overall, a solid sherried Highland. Upon cracking the bottle, I had this pegged as a shoo-in for 5-star rating. I was prepared to write it up as a game-changing, bar-setting Highland malt.

Merry Sherry Christmas y'all! I've got a few classic sherry bombs to review for the holiday season, and since GD 12 was my 2019 Whisky of the Year, I thought I'd take a crack at the 15 before I pop open my 18 on Christmas day. I spent all afternoon making Christmas cookies (semester is over, grades are in), so that may or may have not enhanced the experience of nosing and tasting this fabulous dram. I've heard legend of how good the 15 was before the older stock ran out. I was still a whisky neophyte in those days and wouldn't have known good scotch if it ran me over in the street. I was floored by how good this was at first nose and taste, so I can't imagine how good the older stock was (though I may get a peak into how good when I crack the 18). The nose went great with the baking. It has buttery baking spices, sweet raisins and dates, milk chocolate (like fancy Hershey's kisses), and an overall aroma that reminded me of being on Paris for my honeymoon. I must have sat and nosed this for 15 minutes before tasting it. I know the older version was only matured in Oloroso casks, but I love PX sherry, and order it from time to time on its own when the Mrs. wants to go to a fancy wine bar that doesn't serve whisky (liquor laws are dumb in Texas. Some restaurants only serve beer and wine...boo...). But I digress. The PX is a welcome addition on the nose, and I think the new blend is just fine. By the time I finally got around to tasting it, I was greeted with sticky, sweet toffee and fruity notes on the initial hit. A repeated taste brought out a candied nuttiness (think glazed pecans at the county fair) and that wonderful, characteristic Glendronach spice at the back of the palate. It was like drinking the Christmas cookies I'd just made, only those took 20 minutes to make instead of 15+ years.... The finish, my God, that finish. I could cry it was so long and sumptuous. It was the whisky finish version of coming home from a long work trip at 2 AM, peeling your shoes off, and allowing your couch to envelop you with the promise of no work the next day. The marketing gibberish on the tube describes the finish as "dark manuka honey and dark chocolate". I got the dark chocolate part for sure, but I had to do some digging into what manuka honey was. A quick prayer to Our Lady of Google yielded that manuka honey is this ultra-premium honey from New Zealand (thoughts @Soba45 ?) that celebrities pay too much money for (kinda like we do for whisky). We don't have it in Texas, but what we do have is this amazing mesquite honey from Mexico, and I totally get that on the finish. One of the longest and loveliest I've experienced thus far in my journey. If you're still reading, you're either a Glendronach fan, or your just really like my rambling. Either way, go pick this one up. I got it for $85, which for some ridiculous reason is the everyday price in TX. At that price, I'm keeping this one around for a good long time. Cheers!

It was gone, then back (but different), then gone (not actually but impossible to find) and now back. The reputation of this malt is almost too good to be true. At the time this reappeared I had a bottle of the 12 year and wondered “do I really need another sherried malt?” The answer I now know is yes. Yes I do. To explain why I poured this again and again, and then against the 12 and this is what I found: Gd12 - 2018 Golden color and nose of honey malt, clover, vanilla, fig jam, faint oak, cherry, leather shoe polish. The whiskey itself has a light feel on the tongue, mellow heat and a medium finish with grape jam. The palate showcases a medley of bright berries and dried fruits, caramel malt, hey, buttered popcorn, earthy chocolate and hints of fresh sawdust and very faint ethanol. Impression - young, balanced, bright and fruity Gd15 - 2021 Shade darker than golden in color with dense aromas of milk chocolate, raisin, maple syrup, pecans, oak char, and faint tobacco. Medium body and coating with a noticeable heat that warms the chest and medium-long finish. Palate - oh the flavors. The first punch is full of earthy tobacco and oak. Then floral notes, vanilla and wood char shine through... almost as though this is bourbon. The mid palate onward softly sets sail into the realm of figs, dark chocolate, raisin, sherry, and nougat. Impression - I need more of these... Damn. That is fantastic. If Glenfarclas 25 walks quietly and carries a big stick then this just stomps around with club while slamming sherry. This is so much richer and more concentrated than the younger, brighter 12. The earthy notes right up front are, in a bourbon drinkers mind, just outstanding. Funny thing is there is little to no hey, heather, caramel or honey to make me think “malt.” This could just as well be played off as a well finished rye whiskey. This stomps Macallan 12. Perhaps not as viscous as the Glenlivet cask strength Nadura but much more interesting. Not as spicy as Glenmorragie Malaga cask but again deeper and earthier. Based on my limited prior experiences I didn’t know a Sherry finished whisky could do this. The nutty oloroso, the rich raisin PX, the earth. The whole ordeal almost made me forget peated whisky even existed, if only for a dram or two.

This one has gotten a lot of hate for the switch to PX and olorso, not being 20+ years old despite being labeled a 15, and don't knows what else. 80 bucks for me which seemed pretty fair, I swear I saw this for 100 last time, but I know it does go for less elsewhere. Nose - I know this is odd but I get almost a port like sweetness that I might get on a port finished bourbon or fruity port finished scotch. I get red fruits but not that darker notes. No chocolate either which is a bit unusual. Sweet, very sweet scotch. I do get some oak, slightly bitter. I get some alcohol which at 46% seems out of place. I get an almost berries and jam note with alcohol and a bit of sour. Taste - This has a bit of a chewy savory and fruity kinda character. There's some sour notes, some salted notes, I don't get overt peat, but there might be a PPM or two (I get a bit more on the 18). I can get some light milk chocolate notes, toasted breads, spices, just sweet and sugary fruity elements. Texture - oily and thick, shockingly great mouth feel for a 46%er, but lets not get overly excited if you're into cask strength. Finish - this is where this one really shines. It's got a medium to long lingering finish. The oak, their might be some salty smoke, a chocolate and vanilla element that's buttery. It's so a "dessert is served" element. Yet it's puckering and a bit bitter and while those elements can be forgotten, they balance the sweetness and make this a better finish. I'm down right blown away at 80 bucks and with how subpar the 12 is that this new 15 was able to pack so much refinement and quality into it. This is as good as a lot of 18 and even 21 year old scotches though it isn't as refined as some either. Score - I'm going 4 stars. It really is that stupid good. This, I might have to check but it might be the best value whisky I've reviewed. I do expect some to find this a bit sour and bitter and salty for them given I think people want a pure sherry bomb on these and that's not exactly what this is. Sorry I was just too focused on value when I reviewed this, dropping to 3.5. It's great but not 400 bucks good.

The nose starts with a light sourness before fading to a mix of figs, sugar cookies and pipe tobacco then cocoa powder dusted prunes and toasted walnuts followed by plums, apricots and lychee that transitions to light florals, leather and black tea leaves with light ethanol burn. The taste is a thin to medium mouthfeel starting with creamy orchard fruits before a mild spice that quickly fades to pipe tobacco, cocoa powder dusted prunes and espresso followed by candied ginger, plums, and lychee that transitions to vanilla seeds, toasted walnuts, leather and light ashy oak with light ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a spicy mocha, figs, toasted marshmallow, lychee, cloves and light ashy oak. A tasty dram that is very approachable with minimal alcohol found on the nose with a balanced mix of dark berries, citrus, tobacco, chocolate and light spices that carries over to the palate with an acceptable mouthfeel with a mild spice and coffee before a finish that emphasizes the spicy earth notes with the fruits and sweets in the background. At around $90, these seem fairly priced and would likely be a great choice for anyone looking for a quality sherried scotch. Thanks @ContemplativeFox for the generous sample.