Nestled in the valley of Forgue, deep in the East Highland hills, is The GlenDronach, one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland, creating the finest richly-sherried Single Malts for nearly 200 years. The GlenDronach is of true Highland style: a heavy and robust spirit, perfect for long maturation period in sherry casks. At GlenDronach Distillery, they have carried forth the tradition of their founder James Allardice since 1826, maturing the whisky in the finest Spanish Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucía.

Whiskies aged in first-fill Sherry butts are especially so, those drawn entirely from such sherried stock are invariably known as “sherry bombs” for the potent flavors the malt whisky has derived from its time spent mingling with the sherry-soaked wood. The ‘Sherried’ character, therefore, is down to the Sherry itself, but also oxidation and the way in which the Sherry has interacted with and changed compounds in the oak. All of these then interact over time with the maturing spirit.

The Sherry and wood form a pincer movement that stamps out any sense of identity in the distillate itself. A great Sherry-matured malt should possess a balance between distillery identity, fruitiness, earthiness and a lick of spice. Sherry bombs almost always eschew this tightrope balance in favor of heat, density and aggression of wood flavor.

 ABV: 56.1%. Color: Golden mahogany. Non chill filtered. No coloring added

Nose
Starts with sherry and tannins. Orange peel and nutty notes, turns into orange marmalade. Offers honey, soft sherry, eucalyptus, and cherry blossom. Earthy oak and vanilla pod, with sandalwood, mocha and golden syrup. Water adds more sherry sweetness and raisins.

Palate
Supple and sugary on the very approachable palate, with nutty toffee, dark sherry, and dark chocolate-coated cherry liqueurs. Dusty cocoa, dates and cherry jam, with a drizzle of caramel and praline. Strong oak and warming spicy flavors hit first, then comes the sherry. Orange marmalade and raisins. Water and time in the glass make this dram so much sweeter and smooth.

Finish
Long and spicy, with ripe plums, baked apple and damson plum linger with chocolate walnut and whipped cream. Fresh espresso, with gooey chocolate pudding and cigar box. Very dry and quite zesty, dried fruits and acid notes. The dryness goes away over time and water, turns into bitter red berries and bitter red jam, with dark chocolate notes. And the very late aftertaste is pure sweet sherry, it lingers long.

Balance, Body & Feel
Good balance and offering lots of good layers. They continue to master the art of sherry cask maturation and their Highland Single Malts are recognized for their deep color and rich flavor profiles; which range from the sweet fruity flavors of the Pedro Ximénez to the dry and nutty notes of Oloroso.