Welcome to
Whisk(e)y Reviews
August 2020
with
Glendronach 12
Notes:
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Founded by James Allardice in 1826, the distillery is located in the valley of Forgue, in the eastern Highlands.
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Glendronach is the connoisseur of Sherried whiskies. All of their offerings are fully aged in Sherry casks, rather than just finished in Sherry casks as other companies do.
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Their Sherry casks come from Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso casks in the Andalucia region of Spain.
A parliament of rooks resides on the grounds of the distillery.
Glendronach 12 year old Single Malt Scotch Whisky is not necessarily as popular as other 12 year old Scotch whiskies, but it’s definitely a whisky that you want to take the time to learn about. For those of you who are interested in red wine, this is definitely a gateway whisky, or at least a gateway to learning about Scotch and the different flavors that it can offer to your palate. If you’ve been interested in trying a whisky that’s aged in Sherry, and seeing if you can tell a difference from those aged in bourbon barrels, then you’re in luck.
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Glendronach has been maturing their whisky in Sherry from the very beginning of the distillery’s history, when James Allardice founded the company. Close to two hundred years of tradition back up the whisky that’s in this bottle. The history of different whisky brands is one of the things that fascinates me about trying as many different whiskies as possible.
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Nose: 82/100
The aroma blossoms with scents of plums, red wine, sherry, cherries, tannins and nutmeg.
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Palate: 86/100
The first thing I taste is tobacco. Next up I taste oak, tannins and baking spices. I also get some brine and richness like you would taste if you were eating barbecued food, including char. I also find notes of vanilla, dark chocolate and malt. Cherries and leather are also present.
Finish: 87/100
I love the Finish on the Glendronach 12, and to me, how well rounded it is, really shows how much care they take in producing this whisky. The Finish is dry and bitter at first. A hint of smoke follows those notes, giving way to flavors of tannins and tobacco. Yet, through the entire finish and underlying current of sweetness lurks just below the surface.
Overall: 85/100
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Recommendation:
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Must Try!
Glendronach 12 has very well rounded flavors. I believe that it offers a lot of value in Whisky, especially when you recall that it has been matured in a mixture of Pedro Ximenex and Oloroso sherry casks for north of a decade. I whole heartedly recommend procuring a bottle of Glendronach 12 the next time you make a run to your local bottle shop. It’s a well-rounded whisky, that won’t disappoint. I’ll definitely be keeping Glendronach 12 on hand from now on.
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*This whisky was provided to us as a review sample by Glendronach. This in no way influenced the final outcome of this review.