The Glendronach, the well loved, sherry cask-focused single malt distillery from Scotland’s East Highland Hills, recently announced the release of the 18th batch of their Cask Bottling collection.
These rare items were chosen by Dr. Rachel Barrie, GlenDornach’s Master Blender, and feature single malt Scotch whisky that is as old as 30 years and as young as 11 years. All have been bottled directly from the casks without chill filtration.
“The GlenDronach Cask Bottling Batch 18 is a celebration of the distillery’s time-honoured mastery and a showcase of the finest of what this richly-sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky has to offer,” Dr. Barrie said, in a prepared statement. “This long standing, much loved release is a focal point to each year, demonstrating the exquisite character of our whiskies, through these exceptional casks which I have carefully hand-selected. Each cask individually explores the sophistication, powerful intricacy and rich layers of Spanish sherry cask maturation found in every expression of The GlenDronach.”
The casks themselves represent a range of expressions, from 500 litre puncheons that once housed Pedro Ximénez sherry to larger port pipes (usually 650 litres) and smaller sherry butts (often less than 500 litres). And, not surprisingly, the official tasting notes, as outlined below for each bottle, vary as a result. (ABVs also vary from 48% to 61.9%.)
Lmited edition bottles are already available at some specialist retailers in Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. U.S. drinkers will have their crack at only a handful of them in 2021 as GlenDronach is sending four casks across the pond. Prices in general vary from £97 to £861, depending on age and cask type.
European Allocated Casks: 2091, 648, 4363, 7411, 5897, 7006, 7276
2009 CASK 2091
- Aged 10 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Copper Gold
- Nose: Crystallised orange melds with dark fruitcake, hazelnut and raisin, topped with marzipan and ginger.
- Palate: Fruitcake filled with toasted raisin, orange peel and almond develops into lingering gingerbread and ground nutmeg. ABV: 61.9%
- Bottles: 692
2008 CASK 648
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- Aged 11 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Polished Brass
- Nose: Mocha chocolate and clotted cream with fig, date, candied grape and apricot.
- Palate: Sweet and richly fruity with plum, apricot and bramble jam, and lingering hints of grape and crystallised ginger. ABV: 61%
- Bottles: 682
1994 CASK 4363
- Aged 26 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Treacle
- Nose: Walnut and aromatic musk interwoven with earthy bramble and ginger emerge through resinous oak, leather and tobacco.
- Palate: Rich dark fruits and mellow spices unfold with almond and walnut oil, finishing with mandarin and waxed yellow plum. ABV: 52.8%
- Bottles: 692
1992 CASK 7411
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Treacle
- Nose: Sherry soaked raisin, toffee and sultana pudding, with blackberry preserve, antique leather and cedar cigar box. Palate: Stewed plum, apricot purée and sultana cake with orange caramel brittle, treacle and clove.
- ABV: 53.2%
- Bottles: 658
1992 CASK 5897
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: PORT PIPE
- Appearance: Deep Auburn
- Nose: Elegant Victoria plum, date and bramble preserve with waxed orange, rose honey and ginger-spiced dark chocolate. Palate: Sultana and walnut cake laced with lemon, ginger and nutmeg, interwoven with the lingering finish of dark chocolate orange.
- ABV: 48%
- Bottles: 853
1993 CASK 7276
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Mahogany
- Nose: An exquisite balance of plum, sweet date and cherry cake, with mulled wine, spiced orange and antique walnut. Palate: Plum, maraschino cherry and prune interweave with mandarin and pomelo, finishing with dark chocolate, sultana and spice.
- ABV: 53.7%
- Bottles: 699
1990 CASK 7006
- Aged 30 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Tawny Brown
- Nose: Exquisite layers of dark chocolate, maraschino cherry and the finest Italian leather with bramble rose. Palate: Blackberry jam and cherry chocolate with yellow plum, spiced cocoa and a lingering mineral finesse. ABV: 51.4%
- Bottles: 402
APAC/Canada/IMEA Allocated Casks: 2039, 8558, 7465, 6049, 6735, 336, 9333
2009 CASK 2039
- Aged 11 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Brass
- Nose: Blackcurrant and chocolate covered gooseberry with oak resin and larchwood.
- Palate: Bramble preserve with blood orange, velvety oak tannin and lingering spiced plum sweetness. ABV: 59.3%
- Bottles: 728
2008 CASK 8558
- Aged 12 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Polished Copper
- Nose: Golden fruit marmalade and toffee nut brittle, with chestnut and cranberry infused with aniseed, clove and date oil. Palate: Rich malt and raisin with honeyed treacle and blackberry syrup, with the lingering finish of fennel and liquorice root. ABV: 59.4%
- Bottles: 710
1994 CASK 7465
- Aged 26 Years
- Cask Type: Oloroso Puncheon
- Appearance: Burnished Gold
- Nose: Rounded and rich treacle toffee, sherry and butterscotch, with orange peel and baked apple. Palate: Stewed apple and candied grape with mocha, treacle and lingering baked orange.
- ABV: 51.4%
- Bottles: 676
1992 CASK 6049
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Burnished Ruby
- Nose: Dark chocolate coated cherry and Victoria plum, with layers of toasted winter spice, angelica, walnut and mint. Palate: A swathe of silk velvet carries cherry and plum dusted with cocoa, becoming earthy bramble vine and lingering white truffle.
- ABV: 49.2%
- Bottles: 694
1993 CASK 6735
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Dark Mahogany
- Nose: Plum and blackberry liqueur with chocolate and hazelnut praline, and the warmth of freshly baked gingerbread. Palate: Spiced fruitcake with treacle and angelica crescendos to demerara sugar, star anise and lingering espresso cream. ABV: 51.6%
- Bottles: 694
1992 CASK 336
- Aged 28 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO BUTT
- Appearance: Dark Bronze
- Nose: Stewed orange and plum with eucalyptus, leather, ripe apricot and golden fruit.
- Palate: Black cherry cake, clove and raisin, with a lingering orange marmalade and a velvet toasted oak finish. ABV: 57.1%
- Bottles: 494
1990 CASK 9333
- Aged 30 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ BUTT
- Appearance: Mahogany
- Nose: Exquisite balance of stone fruit, mandarin and roast chestnut with chocolate, red grape and rose pepper. Palate: Toffee orange and silken red grape, with cherry, chocolate and lingering chestnut oak.
- ABV: 50.5%
- Bottles: 696
USA Allocated Casks (Available from 2021): 3017, 1928, 5287, 7102
2008 CASK 3017
- Aged 12 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Warm Autumn Gold
- Nose: Candied fruit, spiced vanilla and sandalwood with caramelised sultana and mixed nuts.
- Palate: Honeyed mead and orange marmalade on toast with ground nutmeg, ginger and lingering dark vanilla. ABV: 59.8%
- Bottles: 628
2005 CASK 1928
- Aged 14 Years
- Cask Type: PEDRO XIMÉNEZ PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Honeyed Gold
- Nose: Sweet ginger, morello cherry and cinnamon spice with mocha, wild raspberry and mint.
- Palate: Seville orange, blackberry and cherry cake, with gingerbread, sweet malt spice and dark chocolate mint. ABV: 58%
- Bottles: 612
1994 CASK 5287
- Aged 26 Years
- Cask Type: Port Pipe
- Appearance: Chestnut Gold
- Nose: Highland toffee and walnut with dark chocolate truffle and the seductive scent of an earthen floored warehouse. Palate: Walnut and black truffle with lingering toffee, cocoa and dark bramble fruit.
- ABV : 51.3% Bottles: 638
1993 CASK 7102
- Aged 27 Years
- Cask Type: OLOROSO PUNCHEON
- Appearance: Treacle
- Nose: Spiced bramble and toasted cinnamon with dark vanilla, walnut and the subtle fragrance of Oloroso cream sherry. Palate: Morello cherry, mixed spice and raisin with lingering treacle, date and ginger fruitcake
- ABV: 51.4%
- Bottles: 633
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