Glendronach batch 9
Sweet, smooth and seriously delicious!
14 November 2022
Type
Cask
Age
ABV
Country
Region
Pedro Ximenez cask, Olorosso cask, Cask strength
Single Malt Whisky
59.4%
No age statement
Scotland
Highlands
Rating
Flavour profile
Rich, Fruity, Spicy
Butterscotch, Caramel, Sweet, Fruit, Fruitcake, Chocolate, Honey, Maple syrup
Tasting notes
A wee drams review
Coming in hot at just shy of 60% ABV, one would think this dram would catch you off guard, on the contrary! Matured in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez casks, Glendronach strike again delivering this truly sweet, delicious and smooth sherry bomb. With sweet notes of maple syrup and caramel on the nose, through to butterscotch, toffee and fruits on the palate and finish. We’ve heard mixed reviews on this dram, but to be honest, we’re sold. In terms of a no age statement, cask strength sherry dram, this one ticks all the boxes. Sherry lovers, keep your eye out.
About the distillery
Glendronach is a distillery in Scotland in the eastern Highlands, which regularly delights and impresses fans of sherry cask whiskies. The distillery is postcard worthy, located in Aberdeenshire, in the middle of barley fields and featuring the classic Doig pagoda roof. The days when all employees of the distillery, from managers to cleaning staff, together with their families, lived and worked on the premises are now over, but the numerous surviving historic buildings, several of which are listed, testify to this once strong community spirit. None more than former managers residence the Georgian Glen House built in 1771, in which features 12 guest rooms for visitors and which is said to be haunted….
The GlenDronach Distillery has a spacious visitor center with an attached shop. Various tours of the production facilities are offered daily from here, which of course end with the tasting of a few ‘wee drams’.
The production of Glendronach single malt is very manual and value is placed on tradition. It’s fair to say the distillery is not one to jump at innovation or new technology. Their Boby Mill, in which the malt is ground, has been in operation for over 100 years, Glendronach still uses traditional wooden wash backs, and the distillery was one of the last to abandon on site maltings in 1996 and their copper stills were still coal fired until 2005.
Glendronach obtains their barley process from surrounding farms usually the Optic and Concerto varieties. The water for the mash and the reduction of the whiskies comes from the Dronac Burn, which flows through the distillery. As a rule the fermentation of whiskey should not be less than 48 hours, Glendronach is far from this lower limit as their fermentation runs between 60 and 90 hours.
Glendronach has four traditional copper stills, two Wash stills and two spirit stills with an annual production capacity of 1.3 million litres. According to Alan McConnochie the Glendronach the shape of their stills creates very a little reflux. Which, among other things, results in a strong, oily spirit.
Glendronach has three traditional ‘Dunnage Warehouses’, but all doors of the warehouses are equipped with a flood barrier to prevent the risk of flooding from ‘The Dronach’. By far more barrels slumber in the ‘Racked Warehouses’ in which the barrels can be stored high on many floors. Under these conditions, excellent, round and complex whiskies are created. With all its whisky, Glendronach dispenses with artificial color additives to preserve its natural flavors and the full character. Since it was taken over by the BenRiach Company the whisky has been matured exclusively in sherry casks. Until 2021 Glendronach also bottled without chill-filtration, an unforunate recent development.