Controlled Alcoholism

Glendronach 15: Revival

I have always been interested in the Glendronach lineup, but it was not so high up on my wishlist that I would really jump onto the opportunity to purchase one. So, when I found a seller selling a dram of this, I took the chance to get one dram to try it out.

The Glendronach Core Range

Source: http://luxesocietyasia.com/wine-dine/glendronach-launches-two-new-majestic-whiskies-for-the-southeast-asia-market/

Glendronach Distillery

Source: https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Attraction_Review-g7208096-d1832308-Reviews-The_GlenDronach_Distillery-Forgue_Aberdeenshire_Scotland.html

Glendronach has an interesting story. The distillery itself had been mothballed between 1996 and 2001. When they started to release age-stated whiskies, some did the math and found that depending on when the whisky was bottled, the whisky inside could potentially be older than what was stated on the bottle. However, I believe that my dram of Glendronach 15 does not have the effect. Just a neat tidbit of trivia.

Scotch in general is split into several distinct regions, such as the Highlands and Islay. The Glendronach series belongs to the Highlands region. Scotches produced in this region are generally smooth and soft, in contrast with its counterparts. Notable malts that belong in this subcatergory include Glenfarclas, Singleton and Macallan (More specifically, a Speyside whisky).

Glendronach whiskies are all mostly aged in ex-Sherry barrels. This gives the whisky characteristic sherry notes like dark fruits. The Glendronach 15's name is interesting - Revival. It is called that as the original Glendronach 15 was produced in the 1990s, and was only reintroduced very recently in 2009, as though it was a "revival" of the original bottling.

The dram

On first impressions, the smell that comes out of the dram bottle is that of spice, a very strong spice, as well as hints of sweetness. Upon letting it rest, the darker, denser sweetness becomes more apparant. Initially, the whisky smells very sweet, but the alcohol fumes hits the nose very sharply and suddenly.

Surprisingly, on the taste it doesn't taste as much a sherry bombs as others like the Glenfarclas 105. There's less sherry sweetness in exchange for a very nice blend of spice and light fruit notes, unlike a standard sherry bombs.

This dram has definitely uped this whisky in my wishlist. But as prices stand, the purchase of a bottle would drill a pretty large hole in my bank account. So unless there is a big drop in prices, this bottle would remain in my wishlist for quite a while yet unfortunately.

Written on Saturday, 16 May 2020.