Review: GlenDronach "Original" 12 years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

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.

Value for Money
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, 2009-2013. All rights reserved.

Review: Laphroaig Quarter Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky

I was in Ontario two weeks ago for a family vacation at my sister's abode.  Originally, the plan was that I and the family would drive up (16 hr road trip!), but the thought of mediating quarrelling children ages, 2 and 4 yrs, every couple of miles (for many hundreds of miles) was about as appealing as trying to resolve the Palestinian/Israeli conflict with a one week deadline.  Yeah, no thanks!  A fate worse than death.  So, I went to my local travel agent, took a serious shine off my credit card and scored airplane tickets to Ontario.  This meant I and the 'fam' were in Toronto in two hours instead of 16.  Now, that's my kind of math!

Ontario was nice.  Did the family thing, the barbecues, the dinners, chase kids, played golf and . . . . visited some liquor stores.  Staring at shelves of scotch on display is much like visiting a dog pound and trying to choose a pup looking longlingly through the bars for a home.  Hmmm . . . . one of the strays I took home was Laphroaig Quarter Cask Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky.

Nose (undiluted)
As soon as you pull the cork on this one you're gonna smell big smoke.  I mean big!  The girl friend, wife, partner, whatever, will be whining and wrinkling their nose.  Ahh!  We don't need them (well, at least not right now).  Coal, peat and small brush fire smoke.  You know what damp wood smells like when it burns, that's what I am picking up. 

Palate (undiluted)
Oily mouthfeel. Make no mistake about it, this is a peat and smoke bonfire that is very representative of Islay whiskies. This malt starts out sweet, delicate, followed by towering peat and smoke. I mean big, skyscraper peat and smoke! But somehow, it is refined, not rough or sharp like Ardbeg 10 year old can be.  Mid-palate the American oak casks that once held first-fill bourbon comes through too.

Finish (undiluted)
Smokey, but not over the top. Again, reminiscent of a heap of damp branches set afire out in the woods on a fall day with the drizzle of rain overhead. Limes and ginger linger for a very long time. This finish is huge. These flavors linger for a very long time.

Add Water?
A teaspoon of water to a double pour will make this scotch malty and sweeter.  The water will tone down the salt/medicinal flavors too.  I prefer this single malt with a little water.  You should definitely experiment to see what suits you.

General Impressions

This is a fine Islay single malt whisky.  While there is no age statement appearing on the bottle, do not let that lead you to conclude it is a lesser quality scotch than it's competitors like Ardbeg, Bowmore and others.  This is worthy of your attention. 

Comparison to the Competition: Ardbeg 10yrs
It's superior to Ardbeg 10 yrs (click here for my review).  I find Ardbeg 10 a little young, fiery and peppery.  The Laphroaig Quarter Cask is not.  (Please note:  I consider it superior because I prefer a more lightly peated malt.  If you really like the huge gales of wind, sea salt, briar smoke and iodine explosion in your mouth, then discount my view accordingly.)

Laphroaig 10 year old
When I compare the Quarter Cask to the Laphroaig 10 year old bottling, I think the former is slightly better.  A little more finese and softer flavors.

Bowmore 12 years
Surprisingly, the Quarter Cask edges out the Bowmore 12 year old (see my review here).  I'm a little shocked.  However, if you take into consideration the considerably lower price of the Bowmore, the Bowmore is the better value for money play.

Should You Buy It?
Look into your soul, have a heart to heart with yourself, plumb the fathoms of your inner being and consider the following:  Are you a peat and smoke freak or Islay nut?  Yes?  Then by all means run out and buy this immediately.  If you are not, I am not so sure you need this in your cabinet.  If you are not an Islay fan or enjoy peat and smoke explosive scotch, then look elsewhere.  If you are seeking a nice representative of Islay for just that moment when you are in the mood, the Quarter Cask will work.  However, Bowmore 12 years is probably the better value play in light of its substantially lower price.  Finally, if you are a scotch newbie, I doubt you will like it.  Most casual scotch drinkers don't like this.  For you this will taste very medicinal and unappealing, unless you are a peat freak and you just didn't know it.

Packs a Wallop!
At 48% alcohol/volume this is a single malt scotch to be consumed in very small quantities.  Despite the high alcohol content, it is not bitter, rough or any sort of unpleasantness.  This means it is a smooth dram that begs another far too easy and before you know it, you're clobbered like Fred Flintstone getting hammered by a club wielding Bamm-Bamm (or maybe Wilma!).  So, be careful.

Cheers!

Jason Debly


Photo Credits: Jason Debly
Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.

Don't Judge A Whisky by its First Taste!

Just as you should not judge a book by its cover, neither should you judge a scotch or whisky by a single tasting of a freshly opened bottle.  I have found that when you first open a new bottle the initial dram may taste a little hot, tart and a little sharp.  The flavors will meld and sometimes improve after the bottle has been left for a week or two.  The reason why? 

Air
Air.  Once that seal is broken on that bottle and the cork is pulled air will get in and affect the flavors offered up.  Certainly, some whiskies change very little from the first opening to the last drop, but there are many that do change.  Some improve and some decline.  Recently, I acquired a bottle of Woodford Reserve.  The first week of my sampling it was met by a lot of burn and raw alcohol on the finish.  Give it two weeks and the air in the bottle has tamed it considerably.  It's still a little wild and I stand by my review, but that awful burn has subsided considerably.

Highland Park 18 is another example.  Upon first opening, it seemed perfect to my tastes.  Flavors were very well defined.  Come back to it a week later and the sherry flavors had become a lot bigger, in fact a little unwieldly.  I prefered it upon first opening.

Food
Ever notice how you pull that bottle out one night and it tastes fantastic, but when you reach for it on another, it is not the same?  It could have a lot to do with what you ate for dinner.  Did you scarf up your tongue with spicy Thai food?  Couple of tacos?  Wings with suicide sauce?  Guess what?  Your palate may be in less than optimal sensory function for the task of tasting the multi-stellar splendor of flavors that only whisky can deliver.  Same goes for that Cohiba cigar you just had to have after dinner.  Or maybe it was her mint jelly lipstick . . . ok, ok you get the picture.

Here's a suggestion.  If you intend to drink a fine single malt or merely your favorite good ol' stand-by,  have a bland supper and wait three or four hours before having a drink.  Give that palate of yours time to recuperate.  Nothing other than water should pass your lips between dins and drinking time.  And of course it goes without saying that you should not eat anything with your scotch/whisky.  If you think some dark chocolate would be a nice compliment to your scotch, make your selection an affordable blended scotch (ie. Johnnie Walker Black, etc.).  Chocolate and a host of other appetizers will only serve to marr your ability to taste.  Just say 'no.'  I know this is all the rage at whisky tastings in hotels where fellow whisky nuts walk around in tuxes or kilts that should only be worn at a Scottish Highland dancing competition, but trust me, it's a mistake if you are really trying to formulate an opinion on a given dram.

Water
In between sips of your chosen malt or whisky, drink water and plenty of it.  Drink water at room temperature.  Ice water chills the palate and desensitizes the palate.  Not something we want.

Glassware
Now my opinion here is totally irrational but I find that whisky of any kind simply tastes better from fine crystal.  Whether it be a tumbler, a brandy snifter or the Glen Cairn glass, so long as it is crystal, you'll be all right.  Sample your whisky from cheap old regular drinking glasses and I think there is a difference.  I offer no rational basis for this opinion, just experience.  Try it out.

Cheers!


Jason Debly

Copyright © Jason Debly, 2009-2010. All rights reserved.