Review by: Whiskery Turnip
Distillery: Glendronach.
Bottler: Distillery.
Region: Scotland/Highland Single Malt.
ABV: 52%. Cask Strength.
Age: 26 Years. Distilled on 5 June 1992, Bottled in 2018.
Cask type: PX Sherry Puncheon.
Nose: Dried fruits, raisins, earthy mustiness, dried mushrooms and sweet dry wine, crème brûlée and toasted sugars.
Palate: Medium-bodied, drying, dried fruits, cherries, big and malty, baking spices, cinnamon, anise, hints of orange, subtle earth and rubber at the end.
Finish: Medium-length with dried fruits, malty sugars, and hints of herbs.
Mental Image: Cheer up, baby!.
Conclusion: Look, I will keep this short; while I love writing reviews and enjoy sharing them with others, I am not a massive fan of sherry-driven profiles (as this week of reviews likely makes plain), and I often find Glendronach to be pretty boring. It may be one of my most “unpopular” whisky takes, but it is what it is, and I have given up on trying to make things work. I am not unbiased here, so hopefully, if our biases diverge, you can recognize the value or absence of value in this review.
If you love big sherry profiles and these early nineties single-cask Glendronach, then I am absolutely sure you would score this higher than I did. Nothing was wrong with this malt; it felt well-balanced if not a little light for what I expected, and the flavors were generally well-integrated. However, they sat on a relatively narrow band. So, no big thoughts or wild imagery from me this time; sometimes a whisky just tastes like whisky— and a no-nonsense sherry bomb does what you expect.
Final Score: 80.
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 