Glendronach 12 Year Old - Original Double Cask

For a standard entry level bottling this is a good representation of the Glendronach line. I think the 15yo ought to be the bottle to have on the shelf. I have the 8yo (discontinued) on my shelf and will get to it in the coming months. This bottle though, I found benefited from a few weeks of oxidization. These notes are toward the bottom of the bottle 6 weeks in.

Nose: Heavy thick sherry, let it settle for 10min and is smooths out and becomes very pleasant. Very sweet; boiled fruits. Some raisins or sultanas. Bit of a sour fruit almost a rind; but just a hint of bitterness. An slight astringent note.

Mouth: Slow development. A sweet note in the middle. A gentle syrupy feel (like cough liquid). Touch of malt. Sour tang.

Finish: Sour. Peppery, slightly hot. A edge of wood. Medium to long finish. Lasting mouth feel (fairly typical)

I would recommend this to friends and whisky converts looking for a decent heavily sherried whisky.

I had this bottle sitting in my cabinet for roughly 2.5 years before popping it open tonight. There was an oily like substance floating at the top the whole time that caught my attention but little did I know the cork was gonna be the real issue.

Upon popping the seal off, the cork broke into two pieces. By pure chance and miracle I managed to wiggle it out bit by bit until fully popping it out, quickly replacing it with a spare (Always good to keep a few dozen of those lying around for times like these)

This was bottled at 43% and matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks exclusively. Non-chill filtered and no colouring added.

Nose - Rich creamy sherry with loads of sweet fruits; raisins, cherries, grapes, figs, sweet berries and vanilla. Some candy and vanilla in here to.

Palate - A heavy blast of sweet and rich creamy sherry, raisins, and loads of fruits. Big body and powerful. Maybe it was just my bottle but the initial hit of this was BIG. Good stuff!

Finish - Fairly long and smooth. Wood tannins and some more fruit and sweetness.

Conclusion: Besides the cork.. this whisky lived up to its nose. A good mix of sweet fruits and a good wallop of sherry.

Double cask matured in sherry and traditional oak casks, whatever those are, presumable second fill or bourbon casks. Whatever they were, they have made a light malt with a slightly rosy hue.

A very expressive nose with a nice balance of malt and fruit. The fruits are varied and include dried sultanas and raisins as well as fresher flavours of apples and plums. I also get a touch of aniseed in there as a spicy note.

Medium weight on the palate, malty again, but now with cinnamon and cloves. The fruitiness that remains from the nose is almost exclusively the dried fruits. The finish is quite dry and malty and of a good length.

This is quite a classy accessible little dram, definitely one I’d recommend to newbie’s.

When I reviewed The Glendronach 12 last year I mentioned that the bottle appeared to be tainted. There was a weird, burnt plastic taste that was quite repulsive. After a week opened, thanks to oxidation, the whisky settled substantially. However, the burnt plastic flavor still remained in the background. But, I knew that it deserved a second chance. And now here it is...a new bottle...Let's get down to it, shall we!

Nose: Big sherry, dark chocolate, over ripen grapes, clove, oak, caramel, dry raspberry tea, hybiscus.

Palate: At arrival, the big sherry dominates with traces of sweet raspberries and oak. Dark chocolate assaults the palate, not just dark, 90% cacao dark. At mid-palate, cloves and cinnamon tingle the tongue. The dark chocolate transforms to milk chocolate with caramel on burnt toast with a pinch of raspberries.

Finish: Medium to long. Slight effervescent. The sweetness resides and becomes semi-dry. A kick of that 90% dark chocolate returns strong and blankets the back of the tongue with certain presicion.

This is a robust 12 year old expression. The sherry influence of both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso casks creates a three-punch combination of the dark and the milk chocolate followed by the dark chocolate once again. All intertwined in red berries. In the $45-$60 range it's hard to find another single malt with such intense sherry influence. For those budget-conscience, sherry anoraks, seeking a maximum yield sherry bomb, this is it!

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.

First Vapor: Chocolate covered strawberries, very interesting.

Nose: Walnut oil, hay and honeyed cereal shortbread;
The built-up vapors are sneakers-and-solventy (walnut oil and balsamic). Subsequent breaths are shortbready (cereal-vanilla-butter) hay, with vanilla and faint strawberry follow-up.

Palate: Enters cereal hay, and picks up lemon peel. A strange vegetal hay sustains, and I can get a flash of that strawberry (but savory, stewed). Peaks with mouthwatering honey-cereal, if still vegetal.

Finish: Similar. Slightly drying vegetal tone underlies honeyed cereal and hay.

Very malty for a brand with a sherried reputation, which is explained by a double cask maturation. It seems to me that the sherry affects the nose rather than the palate, with nuts and fruit. Is that hay sensation coming from some peat? Interesting. A sample that was oxidized for a couple weeks did not change dramatically, but it did gain slightly grassier notes (as is common), so I marginally preferred this when fresh.

Within Glendronach, I find this most similar to the Octarine, but less salty grape/pumpkin and more malty hay. I prefer the Octarine by a couple points, for general improved balance. Outside Glendronach, I think I would consider this closest to the HP12— just more cereal honey and less sour. It is also reasonably close to Jura 10 Origin or especially their 16yo Diurach’s Own. The style is also somewhat similar to OP12 and Auchentoshan’s Three Wood (but maltier and less woody), both recommended.

nose: a note of rum, walnuts, raisins, sherry (not that bomb as Glenfarclas in my opinion), light heather note, very very low and subtle smokiness, dried plums, vanilla, nutmeg, white pepper - the addition of water intensifies the sherry and honey aroma. I cannot believe this is a pure sherry matured whisky, there must be some ex bourbon casks involved here (there is a typical citrus-vanilla-apple note in the background)!

taste: spicy maltiness, heather, herbal notes, fennel, nutty, liquorice, reminds me a bit of Highland Park, like the little brother of the 12y old HP with more sherry but less complexity;

finish: medium-dry, angelica, radish aftertaste, again walnuts, nice bitterness from the european oak casks, but on the more bitter side which I personally like; for a sherry whisky the oak bitterness and spiciness is way more pleasant as the Glenfarclas one, which I personally associated to blood-iron-liver-tobacco, kind of unpleasant;

summary: oily and delicate for a 12y old single malt, it gives me a strong mediterranean sensation with that honey-oakey-herbal-sherry sensation. I bought the bottle for 21 Euros, so for a 12y old single malt its a phenomenal price! this bottle definitely surpassed all my expectations, a steal! easy drinking highlander, goes well as an aperitif with hard cheese (pecorino, queso manchego, parmiggiano, ecc.) and as a digestif, so for me it has a strong all-rounder potential. I will definitely buy the 15y old revival!

I must admit, I love the sweetness of a sherried single malt. However, sometimes I find the balance a bit off, and the sweetness gets a bit too much. Not so with this delight. This is my first glass, and I know already it will be a winner for me! Much like the first time I tried Highland Park 12 year old - only my first thoughts are that I like this even better! I first saw this in our local liquor store the other day. When I read the labels, I was very impressed: Double sherry casks, Non chill filtered, natural colours! And a very reasonable price! I came home and did a bit of research, not a lot of reviews about it. Today I was deciding which bottle to treat myself to, and this stuck in my mind. I guess I am one of contrasts: loving the Laphroaig Quarter Cask, and at times loving a milder sherried single malt. My first sip, and found this to unbeliebably smooth. It's also thick and syrupy, and just coats your tongue wonderfully. The nose and palate are definitely sherry, but there is an underlying dryness, even a bit bitter, that balances it out perfectly! I thought that the Aberlour a'bunadh was what I always thought the perfect scotch should taste like, but it just ends with too sweet a note. This one is perfect, with a bit of dryness at the end. The colour is brilliant, a dark and rich copper which I find very appealing. I realize that everyone has different tastes, but this 12 year is what I might expect from an even older whisky. I am not very good a describing nose/palate etc. but will do my best!

Glendronach was acquired by the BenRiach owners in the summer of 2008. To make that clear to consumers, they 'updated' the name to GlenDronach (with a capital D). And while Glendronach was one of the top 5 selling single malts some 40 years ago, the distillery struggled the last few decennia. In 1996 the distillery was even mothballed for 6 years. Production resumed in May 2002. For some reason, unbeknowst to many (myself included), they filled bourbon casks mainly and after 12 years gave the whisky it's finish in casksOloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry. That, ladies and gents - for those who did not yet fathom this - is the reason for the title of this review.

This GlenDronach 12 Year Old ‘Original’ Double Cask, relaunched in 2009, sold only 9000 bottles in 2008, but in 2009 the new owners were able to boost sales up to a staggering 150.000 bottles!

The nose is dominated by orange marmalade, daisies and lots of bourbon. There is some heather, hay and nuts - the last becoming more prominent upon a second whiff.

The mouth offers sherry and oak, almonds, honey, jam and even a tad of white chocolate.

The finish - reasonably dry - surprises you with its spiciness. Not exactly a grand dram, but very well balanced.

In Belgium, you can buy this bottle for approx. 35 EUR.

I've talked to the new distillery owners at the spirits in the sky festival in Belgium, Leuven. I've tried the 12 year old being told that they are going back to the original sherry flavor.

I am not such a sherry fan, but why not let's try it. I must admit that this whisky is real good. It is fruity, you taste the sherry but it has such a nice balance. Good work!