GlenDronach 12 Year

Review by: TOModera

Special thanks out to /u/Theonetheycalljane, not only for the amazing name as a reference to Firefly or how much fun it is to say it out loud, but also for being great and doing a quick trade for a sample of the hard to find (for me) GlenDronach 12.

This one is matured in both PX and Oloroso casks for 12 years, non-chill filtered, not coloured, and probably had the grains massaged by Angels and Demons alike, given that pedigree.

New fun game I have: Giving my wife Sherried Whiskies (that’s not a euphemism). She makes a face like other people eating lemons (she loves to eat lemons like oranges), and really doesn’t like the spice on them. It’s the little things that keeps a marriage going.

Distillery: GlenDronach Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Speyside.

ABV: 43%.

Age: 12 years.

Cask type: PX and Oloroso (Sherry) Casks.

Price: $61.95 (CAD).

Color: Rusty Brown.

Nose: Strawberry, caramel, anise, cloves, treacle, cherry, little vanilla

Very sweet and spicy nose. There’s a tiny, wee bit of vanilla hiding in the corner, crying, wondering why it’s surrounded by Spanish spirits, that adds something nice to this.

I’m liking the amount of spice on the nose.

Taste: Caramel, cherry pie, vanilla milkshake, cinnamon, pepper

This is really, really sweet, and I enjoy really, overly sweet things. It’s like drinking a pre-made Rusty Nail with a Sherrie whisky, if that’s a thing. Let’s make that a thing, why not.

Unique flavour combinations too, well made, no dithering about on this one.

Finish: Cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, sour Apple/pear, orange, little sulfur

And then the perfection comes to an end. Or at least not perfection, but a nice dram that was doing better than Aberlour 12 or Glenfiddich 15 comes to a stop. The end has a particle mouth feel, like when you finish a hot chocolate and it hasn’t been all mixed. Unlike hot chocolate, the sulfur starts to pop up just a little bit at the end (my hot chocolate has sulfur throughout).

Also, can I say that sulfur always looks like it’s spelled wrong? Out of all the things with a PH, you’d think sulfur would have it.

Conclusion: This is almost a lot better than other young Sherry matured whiskies I have had. There are some downsides though, and some room for improvement.

First off, it keeps doing sweet and spicy over and over. And while I love those, I wish there was just a little acid (other than the overabundance at the end). I actually was missing the balance from Aberlour 12 after having this.

Second up, the particle flavour at the end. I even cleared my mouth out wondering if it was residue from past food, and nope, it came from the dram. No visible particles were seen, so it’s probably just a personal thing.

I certainly would buy a bottle though, and I did enjoy this quite a bit. I have the 15 and 18 sitting on the side, waiting to be tested, so I look forward to seeing what more time does to the dram.

Final Score: 81.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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