GlenDronach Revival 15 Year (2009-2015)

GLENDRONACH SHOWDOWN GlenDronach 12 “Original” GlenDronach 15 “Revival” GlenDronach 18 “Allardice” Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve not yet reviewed. I’ve loved GlenDronach from my first sip way back when, and in addition to these three, I’ve been fortunate enough to have had the 21 “Parliament” and the 25 at Milroy’s in London; they distill several other expressions as well (Core, Travel Retail, Special & Limited Releases). GlenDro is in sherry-bomb territory, and for me, that’s a good territory to be in. It also speaks to the beauty of Scotch whisky: while I’m a huge bourbon lover, that whiskey is almost monolithic in terms of the breadth and depth of styles inherent of Scotch whisky, and sherry-finished or even “bombed” ones represent one part of that spectrum. GlenDronach 12 “Original” Color is a deep amber, or clear Pantone 138. Obvious sherry nose shows sweet fig preserves, candied walnuts, light petrol, quince, white pepper (aroma, not spiciness), pomander, a little vanilla, and a gentle spearmint coolness. Of the three, the 12-year is not nearly as round or generous as the 15- and 18-year expressions. There’s some saline and dates in addition to the olfactory descriptors. Ethanol arrives on the back end, leading to a little chili spice and a shortish finish. The complex nose is the high point for me. The palate lacks the roundness of its two older siblings; the ABV is lower; and the finish is shorter. GlenDro 12 can be had for about $60. Would I buy it again? Yes. 3.75 on the Distiller scale. Non-chill filtered. No added coloring. Aged in both Oloroso and PX sherry casks. 43% ABV. GlenDronach 15 “Revival” The deep burnt orange of the 15 is a few shades darker than the 12-year; Pantone 153. A nose in the glass is greeted by rich and warm aromas of Christmas pudding, brown sugar, tangy barbecue sauce, and a pinch of salt. The whisky is rounder and more expansive than the 12-year; there’s no overt viscosity in terms of mouthfeel. Similar flavors as the nose, along with pralines and a touch more saline. There’s a peanut brittle note on the finish, along with white pepper, dark honeyed yeast rolls, and gentle petrol. The GlenDronach distillery was mothballed for a few years in the late 90s and early 2000s, and the “Revival” naming of the 15-year-old expression is a reference to the distillery coming out of that period. The overall impression of this whisky is one of power, complexity, and finesse. In contradistinction to the dark, stewed-fruit aspects of many aged sherry-casked whiskies, the Revival exhibits a certain youthfulness and strength, appropriate to its name, and the history behind it. It retails for about $90 online, but I rarely see it on local shelves. The GlenDro 15 Revival is outstanding. This sherry bomb is not merely a sherry smack in the face (or palate), but a deep dive into all its complexities. I’d love to have a cask-strength version, akin to Aberlour A’Bunadh (GlenDronach does show a NAS cask-strength whisky on its website, but none with an age statement). Would I buy it again? Yes, assuming I can find it. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. Non-chill filtered. No added coloring. Aged in both Oloroso and PX sherry casks. 46% ABV. GlenDronach 18 “Allardice” The 18-year expression is the darkest of the three: a clear Pantone 159. The nose offers rich raisin paste, toasted and buttered raisin bread, vanilla, apple butter spread, prunes, crème brûlèe, cinnamon, and espresso. It is the richest of the three. The palate begins to show a little viscosity. Like the 15-year, the higher ABV is hidden with the robust flavor profile. Finishes with some smoked pulled pork, dark chocolate, and a dash of espresso bitterness. “Allardice” is a reference to GlenDronach’s founder, James Allardice. The impression of the 18-year is a deeper, richer version of its younger siblings. Not vanilla, but vanilla extract. Not raisins, but warm raisin paste (if such a thing exists). Not dark plum fruit, but prunes. Not coffee, but espresso. Not chocolate, but warm, melted dark chocolate. Quite different than the 15-year, but outstanding in its own right. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. Non-chill filtered. No added coloring. Aged in Oloroso sherry casks.46% ABV. P.S. I purchased the 50 ml nip (of an 18-year-old whisky!) shown in the photo in London; I’ve not seen those here in the U.S. Each of these whiskies, while showing obvious signs of sherry aging, are quite different. There is a progression in color and complexity. While the 12- and 15- year are stated as being finished in PX and Oloroso sherry casks, the 18 states only Oloroso—a bit surprising, since PX is darker, and the 18 is darker as well. I adore both the 15- and 18-year expressions, for different reasons. And the 12, which is significantly less expensive than the other two, is a value for an introduction to GlenDro’s house style. These are quality whiskies that command a premium price not on marketing hype, but rather on the liquid in the bottle. Highly recommended. The GlenDronach distillery, founded in 1827, has seen a few ownership changes over the years. It was most recently purchased by Brown-Forman in 2016. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Nose: Butter, sweet sherry, malt extract, very good oak, pipe tobacco, leather jacket, nut n’ raisin milk chocolate, anise and black tea. There is the faintest possible note of peat smoke, but it just adds depth and does not stand out. It’s certainly not what you would call a “peated whisky” and although the smoke note does increase a little over time in the glass it remains a facet of the tobacco and leather notes. Palate: Exceptionally soft arrival with caramel, vanilla and fudge carried on a wave of malted sherry. Exquisite and captivating from the first sip. The palate develops rich dried dark fruits, black cherries, red berries, sweet citrus and a touch of mixed spice. The texture is creamy and there is a luxurious, seductive and mouth-watering juiciness to the palate. Finish: Medium/long. Soft, supple malt that drifts off on a carpet of sherry, chocolate, tobacco and vanilla. This whisky reeks of very good oak cask. It’s not cask-dominated (although the profile is certainly cask-driven) but it presents fragrant aromas that remind me of walking through a dunnage warehouse, full of the smells of earth, black mould and sherry. It is, simply, a superior sherry-bomb and remarkably it also presents a great deal of bourbon-oak quality. I do not know the provenance of the barrels but I bet they were first fill sherry casks raised up from ex-bourbon staves. There appears to be little or no European wood influence here. There is a family resemblance to the 12 year old GlenDronach but this is a more assured and “mature”whisky in every sense. It is also very like Macallan 12 from back (way back) in the day. It also has similarities to the 18 year old GlenDronach (not surprisingly) but that has a more austere, dry and nutty profile. This tasting is from a 2020 batch, which was matured in a combination of oloroso and PX sherry casks. The previous version of this whisky that was produced up until 2015 was exclusively oloroso cask matured but that changed when the expression was reintroduced in 2018. I have not tasted the pre-2016 expression for a long time but I think these new bottlings are a little more “floral” and sweeter. It’s still a great whisky and one I would recommend. At the price it is fair value for a 15 year old single malt in 2023. “Very Good”: 86/100 (4 stars)

I walked into my local liquor store looking to treat myself to something nice. Maybe some Japanese whisky, I had tried Hibiki Harmony a few years back and I've been wanting to revisit it since my palate has matured a bit. See I recently took a risk and changed careers and it did not work out for me, however whatever bad taste left in my mouth thinking about how I might have set myself back for posible growth in my previous industry I do feel a sense achievement as crazy as that might sound. I bet on myself and took it head on but like in life sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. But on this humid and rainy Saturday in Central FL I have won and in what way. I'm looking at the few Japanese expressions available in my local liquor store as my eyes drift down the isle I see this single 15 Revival bottle. I ran over and oponed it's carton container to make sure it was the real thing and it sure was, the last bottle on the shelf too. Easiest decision I've made in a while. "Ring me up cashier, I got somewhere to be". Since I tried the 12 year expression of Glendronach which a very much enjoyed I had been anxiously wanting try this one. The nose is unreal. Baked spices, sweet sherry cask influences but made rounder and fuller with dark chocolate notes. Some orange and a certain marshmallow sticky-ness crosses my mind. On the palate the extra three years on its younger brother really show, orange, more dark chocolate, the spices that really stood out on the 12 year old are really toned down and the extra time gives richness and character. The finish is of medium length with an orange note that I do not remember getting from it's younger brother. This is an incredibly well made scotch in my humble opinion. I also think although it's extremely interesting an nuanced it is also something that most scotch drinkers from beginners too aficionados will enjoy. I plan on spending more time with this gem of scotch and will later give this a proper review at a later time since I'm sure I will better understand the beauty of this juice as I get more acquainted. Cheers!

Nose - a strong nose! Get tons of dried fruit, red fruits. Strong sherry cask influence, obviously. Mild smokiness as well even though I dont believe it has any peat. I get hints of chocolate and caramel as well. Tongue - get hints of fruit and molasses. I expected it to be oily for some reason, but its not as much as i thought. There’s some spicyness as well. Fairly sweet. I get plums, raisins. It surely is a sherry bomb! Finish is medium. If you love sherry finished whiskies you would really love this! Probably, my favorite sherry cask whisky i have tried in my limited experience so far!

Ill not lie, this one of my favourite drams and i enjoy the 12 18 and 21 also. Nose is all ablut rhose sweet maraschino cherrys but as rhe drink develops innthe gkass their is actually a small hint of smoke The palate is rich and sweet and should be savoured. Lots of the usual dark dried fruits coming through. Fryit cake tastic The finaih is medium with a little wood ans spixe to round off the sweetness. I just finished my bottle and will be getting more!

Dried fruit, raisin, date, honey, nutty, cola. It has a nice punch at 46% ABV (I don't understand why any whiskey is bottled below 45-46%). Doesn't suffer from the sulfury funk that a number of sherried scotches show. Really enjoyable pour from my brother's bar, which also happens to be the only scotch in my brother's bar. Turns out it was a gift.