Review by: The Muskox

GlenDronach 18 has long been a favourite standard bottling for whisky nerds, ticking all the integrity boxes while providing a rich and tasty sherry experience. Alledgedly. This is actually my first time trying this classic dram, which, due to the closure of GlenDronach distillery between 1996 and 2001, is actually way older than the label suggests. Since no GlenDronach whisky was distilled during that time period, there exists in their warehouses only whisky younger than 17 years and older than 23 years. Therefore, this whisky has to contain whisky no younger than 23 years old, despite the big “18” on the label. See this diagram if you’re still confused.

This year (2020), GlenDronach 18 will flip back to a real 18 year old once the first stocks from the reopened distillery come of age. This happened to GlenDronach 15 Revival in 2017, which had previously been up to 21 years old. It’ll be interesting to see if/how the recipe changes.

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Distillery: GlenDronach.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 46%.

Age: 18 (actually 23) years. Bottled in 2019.

Cask type: Oloroso sherry butts.

Price: N/A, sample.

Color: Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Dark, dusty, and juicy. Some sherry tartness, citrus peels, maraschino cherries, and the driest of dried fruit. Dark-roast coffee grounds, cloves, vanilla, browned butter, toffee, and lots of cocoa powder. Well-worn leather. Chocolate-chip banana bread.

Palate: Medium texture. Rich oloroso up front, not as sweet as expected. More spice-forward: black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and cocoa powder. Vanilla-poached pears and baked apples. Unexpected tropical fruit sweetness down the middle: vanilla, coconut, demerara sugar. Some old, musty oak appears on the development. Rich pipe tobacco, a hint of smoked meat, leather furniture, and dark chocolate on the back end.

Finish: Medium-long. Musty oak mingles with cane-sugar cola, crystallized pineapple, rum-raisin ice cream, vanilla, and dark chocolate ganache. There’s even a bit of peat smoke.

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Conclusion: I don’t think it quite lived up to the hype, but it’s a great whisky regardless. I love the rich cane-sugar/demerara sweetness in the middle. I’d imagine this version is oakier than younger bottlings, as the age is definitely noticeable. It also suffers a bit from being bottled at 46%. Still, the flavours are rich, the mouthfeel is nice, and the finish is good and long. I think it beats out competitors like Glengoyne 18, Macallan 18, or Bunnahabhain 18. Though, given how much older this “18-year-old” whisky is than those others, it might not be such a fair comparison…

Final Score: 87.

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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.