Above is a picture of my favorite shoes. They are old, beat up, worn, cracked, soft leather that fit perfectly. My wife has delicately suggested I not wear them to work. I think she would also rejoice if I decided to toss them out. That will never happen. I like them because they are so damn comfortable!
GlenDronach "Original" 12 year old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky is much like my old pair of shoes. From the first sip I am put at ease. Like renewing an old friendship after years of separation. Just a matter of picking up from where you left things last.
Nose (undiluted)
Very sherried. Not particularly elegant. Let’s hope it tastes more exceptional than what is presented on the nose.
Palate (undiluted)
Quite sherried. Lightly spiced. Rich, sweet, red fruits like strawberries and red currants. Very light peat. Medium bodied.
Finish (undiluted)
Some somewhat dry sherry, raisins and cloves linger a decent amount of time. Finally, there is a zing of burnt toast with strawberry jam and some rasberries. Oak is there too. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Nose (diluted)
Addition of water makes the aromas less sherried and more floral. Maybe dandelions.
Palate (diluted)
More creamy. The sherried flavors still dominate, but less so.
Finish (diluted)
Flavors linger much less with water added. Sherry flavor still there but transitions to carmelized onions that usually fry up to go with your Saturday evening barbecue steak. A flavor that neither adds nor detracts to the over all tasting. In general, I prefer drinking this single malt without water.
Great low price! At least where I live, this is probably one of the lowest priced 12 year old single malts. It delivers rich flavor, red fruits, oak and some complexity of flavor. A good choice for the scotch newbie and the tramp (that would be me).
General Impressions
When I first tasted GlenDronach, I regarded it as an average, middle of the road, girl next door, 12 year old single malt. Not bad, but not great. The flavor profile is straight forward . . . or so I thought. A little complexity mid-palate when you taste the crunch of burnt toast and strawberry jam. But! Upon subsequent tastings it really started to grow on me and I started to unlock some complexity of flavor.
It’s smooth, tremendously easy drinking, coupled with a low price, makes it attractive. No bite or bitterness on the palate. Easy to like. Not grainy and basically not offensive in any fashion. No towering peat and smoke either that is generally not a hit with the novice scotch fan.
Over all, I am happy with this recent purchase. A very consistent taste from opening to the last drop. This represents good value for money. When you just want a nice scotch while you watch the game or chill out in the backyard after a long day, this works well. I wouldn’t pull this out for your scotch fan or the father-in-law you seek to impress. This is a “go-to” economy 12 year old single malt for the budget minded person seeking a decent single malt with a flavor profile that is familiar yet interesting. Comfort food. That’s what this scotch is. Just like my old pair of shoes that I just can’t stand the thought of parting with.
Photo Credits: Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.
Posts
Hey Jason!
ReplyDeleteSitting with a dram of Glendronach in front of me as we speak. Well, this is most certainly a sherried whisky. Closer inspection of the tin reveals that it is aged in Pedro Ximenez and the obligatory Oloroso sherry casks, no surprise there. Rich, nutty nose; hints of banana, vanilla cake icing, and a sort of burnt caramel wafting upwards - "burnt caramel" being, of course, redundant - but it sounds impressive. Not an exceptionally complex nose, but there is no false advertising here.
Palate fulfills the promise of the nose exactly, with no surprises. But unlike the Singleton of Glendullan, which tastes like 40% sherry, Glendronach is tempered by a bit of drying oak spice mid-palate. Not overly so, mind, like Strathisla, which gives one an acute case of cottonmouth; but rather providing enough balance to offset the natural overwhelming sweetness the sherry provides. Languid tendrils of smoke envelop the dram, giving it a weight and body that is immensely satisfying yet again is in perfect balance.
Finish - After the oak does its song and dance, the dominant sherry resurges in a finish that is sweet, rich, and satisfying. Just the slightest hint of anise and citrus cleanse the palate, and prepare it for the next full dram. Lovely.
Conclusions - This is not a dram that made me stare at the glass, mouth agape, in amazement, like what happened after my first sip of Ardbeg. Rather, it is a rich, immensely satisfying dram which delivers in full exactly what was promised by the nose, and no more - but that's plenty ok. This is a dram you can feel immediately comfortable with, and your analogy of the "old, comfortable shoes" fits perfectly. That said, the smoke, sherry, and slightest hint of tobacco at the very end of the finish suggests that this might be a good pairing with a favoured cigar among friends - or an evening alone in front of the firplace, a tome of Gibbon in hand. One wonders how much better this dram might be at 18 or even 21 years of age; I suspect "excellence".
Anyway, this is my blurb about Glendronach. Great suggestion, and I probably wouldn't have bought it without your recommendation. It languishes, dusty, on the bottom shelves of our liquor store, and that's a shame.
Take care, and I eagerly look forward to your next post!
-Adam
Great review Jason! I always enjoy reading your comments.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first noticed this at the local liquor store, I was impressed not only with the price, also the fact that the package states: "Non chill filtered -natural colour".
I did a bit of research, and liked what I read, so went ahead and got a bottle. I find that it is a lot of tastes, but not too much of anything, with just the right amount of bite to make it interesting. On the nights when I don't feel like a heavily peated and smokey scotch, like Lagavulin or a heavily sherried one with a lingering sherried sweetness, this is the one for me. Like you old shoes, it is a good friend who is always there and will never let me down. If I were not fortunate enough to be able to try many single malts and had to settle on one, this would probably be it!
Cheers,
Carl
Yes, Carl, the ol' Glendronach is very comfortable. Comfort scotch when you just want a drink and dont want to think too much.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Whisky Exchange Blog, the Glendronach 12 actually doesn't contain 12 year old whisky. In fact the youngest whisky in the bottle is 15 years old (legally the label is correct since none of the whisky is younger than 12). This was due to the distillery being mothballed from 1996 to 2002 so the first whiskies distilled in 2002 are still not old enough. Why then did the distillery bother with a 12 year old? It's most likely the owners wanted a bottle and label ready for when the actual 12 year old comes of age.
ReplyDeleteEric, you are correct about the whiskies in the 12yr actually being 15 years. I also think you are correct that the label of 12 was used to establish the brand's particular age statement.
DeleteI suspect that new releases of GlenDronach 12 will actually contain whiskies that are 12 years. Of course, the question will be: Is it still good?
It will certainly taste different but I have faith in the new owners (who also run Benriach) to keep quality the same. And besides if I don't like the new 12 I can always move on the 15.
Delete