Glendronach 15 Year Old Revival
Glendronach is a distillery that has been on a bit of a rollercoaster over the last few decades. Closures and re-openings, changes in high profile master distillers and excellent quality old stock followed by different, but also excellent, quality new stock. Its spirit has been used for blends as well as won Whisky of the Year (which this 15 year old did in 2020). The price has, consequently risen, and at around £80 it is now a pretty expensive dram. Perhaps this is why it seems to have fallen out of favour of late. This certainly isn’t to knock the whisky itself though, which still draws a smile from nearly every whisky enthusiast.
Bottle
A classic bottle shape, tall, plain and frankly pretty boring! The label is covered with script and old-fashioned lettering giving it a truly classic look. Coupled with the elegant green of the label though this is a modern whisky bottle calling back to its past rather than being stuck in its past.
Colour
The distillery was widely criticised a few years ago for removing any proclamations surrounding colouring and filtration leading many to fear the worst. However, I am led to believe that this whisky is still non-chill-filtered and naturally coloured. And it is a wonderfully rich, auburn colour, a shade darker than the 12 year old, as you might expect from an extra few years in those wonderful sherry casks.
Nose - An intense fruity aroma that is, at the same time, bitter - like orange bitters or cherries. It is quite a fresh nose but not at all light. All the elements you would expect from a dram matured in sherry casks - rich, fruity, sweet and just a hint of mint!
Palate - The mouthfeel is surprisingly oily and the flavour comes in a few layers. A variety of spices - peppercorn, cloves and nutmeg - are complimented with dark chocolate and a little nuttiness. The bitterness of the orange and cherries is here too with just a hint of ginger making this really enjoyable.
Finish - A deliciously long finish, aided by that oily texture. It leaves marmalade and much of the spice to linger as you contemplate your next sip. This is wonderful!
Overall
This whisky is widely considered to be an excellent example of a ‘sherry bomb’. Loved by nearly all whisky drinkers, I must admit I agree - it is a really excellent whisky with new elements to discover in each sip. So we’ve established that it is delicious but it is also, unfortunately, £80 at full price. I don’t usually spend this much on a bottle of whisky so for me, it is expensive. However, it seems only fair to compare it to a couple of its peers: Macallan 12 Double Cask and Aberlour A’Bunadh. In this company, it looks comfortable and certainly pulls its weight in the flavour department, so it is hard to say it is overpriced compared to its competitors.
This is a truly delicious spirit and if you can try a dram or two without buying a whole bottle then you definitely should. And if you do shell out the money for a whole bottle I don’t think you’ll regret it either!
Available from The Whisky Exchange for around £80