The GlenDronach Original Aged 12 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70cl

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I think this is my first taste of a GlenDronach. This is the entry level of the range which is matured for 12 years in a mix of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks. Finish: Now this is the part that surprised me a bit... In a good way because its quite long and interesting. The finish turns out to be quite dry with bittersweet blood orange, dry oak, creamy nuts, milk chocolate and the red fruits return too. We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery To be honest, I was searching for the 15YO, but my choices were the 12 and 18. Well why not start at the beginning? This was right around 54 dollars in Nashville TN. The 18 was selling for 115.

Nose: Not as heavily sherried as the 15 yo (and it's my understanding that some older bottlings of the 12 yo contain but faint traces of sherry). Very floral at first, although this dissipates in a short time and allows a fruit bowl to emerge. Mostly bananas, red grapes, and orange rind. Traces of tea, fresh-baked yeasty bread dough, and maybe a touch of chocolate.Taste: The breeze from the window carries in a warm draft of shortbread, apple and demerara-glazed vegetables, while the nighttime din of orange squash and chocolate covered orange peel serenades our slumber. By the way, it’s a racing certainty that all the pre-2009 bottlings were chill-filtered from at least the mid 1980s if not earlier, and in all likelihood they were probably colour adjusted as well. Let’s not forget that chill filtration for spirits has been around since the 14th century. We’re not saying that makes it good, but it is a traditional practice that became widespread in the whisky industry from around the late 1930s and was universally adopted by the 1960s. Entering the discussion, I couldn’t help but focus on my preconceptions about what this new chill-filtration process entailed. My pre-emptive questions were about why the decision had been made to filter the liquid, who had made that decision, what Brown-Forman was trying to achieve by incorporating such a drastic step, how much it even cost to run one of these machines, and what the impact on the liquid itself would be– a liquid that had built its reputation on natural presentation and incredible taste. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”).

For anyone who is worried about changes to favourite whiskies, unfortunately this is just part and parcel of being a single malt whisky fan. Your favourite whisky will change in character over the years, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Batch variation is the reality we all live with, so it’s better to embrace it, as brand consistency over anything but the shortest timescales is an utter myth. It’s 12 years of tastiness all rolled up and dumped into a 750ml glass bottle. It’s a really nice, accessible and tasty single malt that just about anyone could easily grab off the shelf and enjoy. There’s enough complexity for “seasoned pros” to enjoy while not so overly complex that less experienced drinkers would feel lost or overwhelmed. It’s a simple, straightforward and tasty whisky that I’m enjoying every single second of. Delving further into the world of Glendronach. I would not call this one representative of the brand as far as I know, since it is more malty/bourbony than the older and more heavily sherried varieties.

The colour is a dark reddish amber. On the nose, very fruity with plums, rum-raisin, baking spices and lots of oak; this noses older than 12 years. Lots of red berries - and red grapes. Water brings out the malt and spice. Oaky, spicy and well-sherried. Moving out first is some sweet ripe red fruit like strawberry, cherry and raspberry. A sherry that is more subtle than on the nose mixes with some malt, a hint of wood, a bit of citrus, leather and sweet tobacco. The palate is a bit more complex than the nose, but not wildly so and again it doesn’t really matter because what’s there is very nice. For starters… flavor. This stuff is great. I can’t attest to how much the PX finishing adds to the already sherried malt since I didn’t taste it before the finishing, but I can tell you that as it is now it’s fantastic and I honestly don’t know why more people aren’t talking about this stuff. It’s rich, it’s supple, it’s flavorful and because it’s not incredibly popular at the moment it’s relatively cheap. A tasty little gem from a distillery that flies under most folks radar… enjoy it while you can. GlenDronach 12 year Review