Review by: dustbunna
I took a deep dive with GlenDronach’s distilling methods and cask management in previous reviews of the 12yr and 15yr bottlings, and now am arriving at the oldest one I’ve purchased thus far. Admittedly I’m not the biggest sherry head, but I love whisky put together well and if my past reviews have taught me anything about GlenDronach, they are certainly doing that. My 18yr ‘Allardice’ was bottled in 2017, making its true age 21-22yr.
Distillery: GlenDronach.
Bottler: Distillery bottling.
Region: Highlands.
ABV: 46%.
Age: 18 years according to the label (21-22 years likely). Bottled in 2017.
Cask type: Full maturation in Oloroso sherry casks.
Price: $170 USD.
Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.
Bottle open across approx. 12 months, notes taken leisurely across that period. Bold notes taken beneath the shoulder, regular-formatted notes taken further into the bottle past the halfway point, italicized notes taken towards the heel.
Nose: a heady mix of very dark chocolate, worn leather, forest leaves, and blackberries– then raisins, brown sugar, stewed berries, orange zest, root beer/birch beer spices, figs, dank earth, chocolate-covered cherries, rich strawberry jam, brighter notes begin to fade and the first four, darker notes re-assert themselves.
Palate: thick on the tongue ~ bitter arrival leads to dark caramel and oak. Water brings out cherries, plums, baking spices and more chocolate, in time all of these come forward without water, faint struck matches, mustiness, walnut oil.
Finish: medium-long ~ strong wintergreen and wood spice, root beer candy, toffee, goes a bit oak-tannic but sweetens at the very end with more cherries.
Conclusion: This was lovely. It’s rich and flavorful but not too sweet, which is what I look for in a good dessert. Also, the richness I encountered is not like other sherry monsters I’ve tasted– this is much, much darker, brooding and serious. At first, the palate did not match the beauty of the nose at all, but playing with water, air, and time really encourages the translation of notes from scent to taste. I was patient with it, typically allowing up to 30-40 minutes of rest in the glass to find its sweet spot. The notes also intensify and seem to meld together as the bottle goes down, reaching a peak in harmony around ½ to ⅓ full (a trait which I’ve also found in the younger GlenDronach expressions I’ve owned.)
This remains one of my favorite distilleries, and I’m really glad I bought this bottle for the experience of tasting their pre-mothball spirit, even if it’s likely I won’t re-buy it due to budget constraints. The 18yr is not by any means an everyday sipper, and really requires full attention to get the best of what it has to offer, but I felt I was rewarded for giving that attention. As an experience, for me this is slightly better than the fresher but less complex 15yr ‘Revival’, which I also adored.
Final Score: 88.
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.
Malt Runners 