GlenDronach 21yo 1993/2014, cask 475

An original bottling for 'La Maison du Whisky & The Nectar', probably only available in Europe, as far as I know. This is cask No.475, matured for 21 years exclusively in one ex-Oloroso Sherry Butt (1st-fill).

Presentation & first impressions:

Colour = wow! This is one of the darkest Scotches I have seen (along the insane Kavalan Soloist Sherry), and just looks rich & enticing. It comes with a nice mahogany-colored cylinder & label, the usual GlenDronach packaging & bottle. The whole thing oozes maturity & sophistication without being snobby or bawdt(here's looking at you, Dalmore...)

Once poured it is lusciously thick & dark as Oloroso sherry… the 56,4% abv liquid sticks to the inside of my Glencairn glass like thick maple syrup ? I am of the opinion that good Whisky should look seductive just as much as it should smell so, and this just looks YUM.

Nose: Figs, walnuts… hints of chocolate-covered coffee beans & old leather. Lots of sherry (well, duh…)

Palate: Thick & rich, initially sweet but growing drier and spicier in a nice evolution. Figs and dates again with some (orange?) marmalade. Raisins and chocolate, moving towards roast coffee beans. A hint of cinnamon.

Finish: Long (certainly for a sherry bomb) - lots of dried fruits, quite a bit of oak & dark chocolate. I even get a slight ‘Abunadh’-ish strawberry jam hint that I have only ever encountered in the Batch #45 I just finished. Just fantastic, truly.

Apparently these 1993 casks all range from very good to truly excellent, and I’d venture a guess that this is one of the best. This one tastes ‘Old’, which I like, but it is a very different experience to Abunadh. Think the 15YO revival, with extra fruitiness and on a massive dose of steroids. YUM ?

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