The final GlenDronach I’m tasting is something special. It was bottled in the mid-70s by William Teacher & Sons, especially for the Italian market, in bottles of 26.66 fl oz, which is… 70cl. Bottles can still be found today, but they’ll set you back about 300 EUR at least.
The nose is surprisingly sharp with grapefruit, grapes and sherry, but also a tad spirity. Loads of gooseberry. But also something that I can only describe as the gas my grandma used to get from a can to reload her cigarette lighter. Or the fluid to light a zippo, yes, that it!
The attack is soft, though quite seasoned with spices. But oh, so bitter. The sherry aroma is there, but is completely overcome by tannins, anise and a lot of flowery, almost soapy, flavours.
The finish is creamy and flowery and dies an astringent death.
Wow, I wasn’t kidding when I wrote ‘something special’. But I cannot say I like it that much. Too bitter. Too astringent. To special, probably. But what fun!
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