©Bert Rutkowski (www.whiskyetc.nl)

As you can see, there is a six-year-long production gap because the distillery was mothballed from 1996 to May 2002. So certain expressions are much older than the label says, which means that the version I am reviewing today is actual 18 or 19 years old (not sure about the bottling date).

The first “real” 15 Years Old will be released in 2017 or 2018 and it will be interesting to see how it will compare to today’s version.

Facts

GlenDronach Revival 15 Years Old

Nose

Sweet sherry with fruity notes of plum jam, oranges, blackberries and raspberries. Melted nougat, cinnamon powder and honeyed raisins. Some sugared pecans. Whiffs of fire cracker smoke in the back.

Taste

More vibrant than expected. Lots of dried fruits. Dates, figs and sweet oranges. Milk chocolate. Hints of ginger, cinnamon and nougat.

Finish

Long with a spicy sweetness. Milk chocolate and red berries. Oranges in sherry.

Overall

Don’t get me wrong, this is a pretty good sherried whisky, but I don’t get all the praise. It’s really not that impressive to me. Maybe it’s the batch?

Score: 85 / 100

Maybe it’s just me, but when I first heard that they were releasing a peated expression, I was not like “Oh yes! A peated non-age-statement expression from GlenDronach! That’s exactly what I was waiting for!” Why not stick to what you do best, big sherried whiskies? Oh well, it seems like every distillery has to make all sort of different stuff nowadays. What was that again with “terroir matters?”

Facts

GlenDronach Peated

Nose

Warm wood smoke — warm, welcoming and very gentle. Mashed red apples, roasted marshmallows and vanilla toffee, rounded by notes of heather honey and coconut shell. Perhaps some citrus fruits in the back.

Taste

Sweet, very sweet indeed. Vanilla marshmallows with hints of floral honey, followed by a whiff of white pepper. The wood smoke comes back, still very gentle and subtle.

Finish

Medium and sweet. Lingering wood smoke, barley sugar and lemons.

Overall

This is an undemanding and agreeable expression. I will give it that. But it’s nothing special in the sense of that it could come from (nearly) any other distillery out there. It’s neither a peat monster, nor a sherry monster and has nothing really to do with what GlenDronach usual does. Not bad by any means, just not really needed.

 Score: 82 / 100

Facts

GlenDronach 1995 (for TWS)

Nose

A big load of sherry, very intense and fruity. Lots of cherries, alongside plums, raisins, figs, dates and orange peels. Fermented red fruits in cola syrup. Sticky tobacco. The alcohol is very well integrated.

Taste

Creamy and very intense. Chocolate pudding, cacao powder, raisins and oranges together with hints of plums. Spicy cherry tobacco and some pepper. And lots and lots of oak.

Finish

Very long and chocolaty. Honeyed espresso, spicy ginger and bitter oak.

Overall

A big and complex expression, although a bit too raw and less sherried than expected.

Score: 88 / 100

Facts

GlenDronach 19 Years Old Madeira Finish

Nose

Sweet and fruity with a mix of gooseberries, green apples, apricots and overripe grapes. Then some lemon-mint, toffee and candied almonds appear. Hints of oak and cinnamon linger in the background.

Taste

Smooth, but not as sweet as expected. Ripe gooseberries, green apples and caramelized citrus fruits, balanced by pepper and candied ginger. A tiny bit of oak.

Finish

Long, warming and rather sweetish. Orange honey, some hazelnuts and a bit of bitter oak.

Overall

A robust and highly enjoyable dram with a very pleasant balance of fruits and spices.

Score: 87 / 100

The last one for today is another bottling for Denmark, this time matured for 10 years in a combination of bourbon and Tawny Port casks. The exact same bottling was also released for the Netherlands with a limitation of 1,200 bottles.

Facts

GlenDronach 10 Years Old (for Denmark)

Nose

Red berry compote decorated with maraschino cherries. Orange marmalade, red apples and toasted nuts. A bit spicy around the edges.

Taste

Fruity and syrupy. Plums and maraschino cherries again, alongside hints of pepper, ginger, nutmeg and oak. Red berries and brown sugar appear towards the end.

Finish

Long and dry. Hazelnuts and some spices.

Overall

An accessible dram, very easy to enjoy. The port influence is noticeable but not too much.

Score: 85 / 100

This bottling is often referred to as Darth Vader because of the black labeling. It was matured for 9 years in Pedro Ximénez casks and bottled for Professional Danish Whisky Retailers.

Facts

GlenDronach 9 Years Old (for Denmark)

Nose

Maybe not as much sherry as expected, but this works as well. Gunpowder upfront followed by dried apricots, creamy toffee, sour apple rings, oranges, raisins, honey cake and brown sugar.

Taste

Sweet and spicy. Figs, dates, and orange candies, accompanied by caramel and some dark berries. Hints of white pepper and oak in the back.

Finish

Long and dry. Mainly pepper and oak, alongside a whiff of citrus fruits and milk chocolate.

Overall

Quite mature for its age, but maybe less sherried than expected. Reminds me of the Octarine, although I liked this one a notch better.

Score: 85 / 100

The Hielan’ is the latest addition to GlenDronach’s core range and

is a tribute to the dialect spoken in the distillery’s surrounding area in the Scottish Highlands.

It’s only 8 years old (still better than a NAS, right?) and was matured in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks. This might sound like another Ocatarine, but judging by the color, this is clearly not the case.

Facts

GlenDronach The Hielan’ 8 Years Old

Nose

Very, very malty. Lots of vanilla, accompanied by hazelnuts, raisins, marzipan, green apples and burned vanilla crescents. There is also a whiff of … shaved grana padano cheese… interesting. Some green pepper in the background.

Taste

Very malty and very sweet. Vanilla, toffee and did I already say malt? Seriously, it’s very beer-like. Ginger, biscuits and hints of white pepper.

Finish

Medium. Dry and peppery with grassy and herbal notes. Oh, and of course more malt.

Overall

I’m sorry to say this but, for me this a worse version of the Octarine. It’s just too malty and there is hardly any sherry influence. Really not my kind of dram.

Score: 81 / 100

The GlenDronach Octarine was firstly released in 2010. Back then, it was an exclusive bottling for the Carrefour supermarkets in France, but later it was also available in other parts of Europe as well as in some online shops.

Facts

GlenDronach Octarine 8 Years Old (2013)

Nose

A big cup of peach herbal tea. A bright fruitiness of raspberries, cranberries, pomelo and strawberry jam, balanced by sweet malt and caramel. Hints of white honey in the back.

Taste

Smooth. Lots of toffee, then some vanilla. Oranges, sour cherries and strawberry jam again. A light spicy bitterness. Some clove and oak. Hot chocolate in the end.

Finish

Quite long. Fresh, fruity, woody and slightly bitter.

Overall

A very enjoyable entry level expression, which is quite mature for its age.

Score: 84 / 100

The youngest in the pack today is a 7 year old expression from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), nicknamed ‘For A Sweet Tooth’. Contrary to almost all other expressions from Glendronach, this one was solely matured in a refill ex-bourbon barrel.

Facts

SMWS 96.7 ‘For A Sweet Tooth’ (GlenDronach 2006)

Nose

Not unpleasant, but a bit hot in the nose. Sweet strawberries with whipped cream and vanillin sugar. Green apples, unripe kiwis and blueberries, joined by vanilla pudding and citrus candies. Milk chocolate emerge, together with a whiff of cinnamon. Some grassy notes in the back.

Taste

Sweet, but the alcohol is not that well integrated. Cherry liqueur chocolate, tinned pineapples and pink grapefruit juice, followed by fresh cinnamon buns and walnuts. A bit peppery around the edges.

Finish

Medium and drying with a sweet bitterness. Green almonds, lots of marzipan and icing sugar.

Overall

A fine young single malt, just a bit too raw and not as sweet as expected.

Score: 80 / 100

On the first day of the Dramcalendar, we have the GlenDronach 1990, bottled by Cadenhead as part of their ‘Small Batch’ bottling series. This 23 years old expression is pretty special for two reasons. One is that it was distilled at a time (1990) when Glendronach still used direct coal fired stills, which were removed in 2006. And second is that it was fully matured in bourbon hogsheads. Especially the latter makes this expression so interesting to try out since Glendronach is first and foremost known for their big sherried whiskies and their very wide range of mostly in wine casks finished bottlings although some of the newer releases are nearly impossible to get nowadays.

May it as it be, time to find out what a ‘naked’ Glendronach has to offer.

Facts

GlenDronach 1990 (Cadenhead Small Batch)

Nose

Hay bails in the middle of green apple and orange tries. Chocolate brownies fresh from the oven, decorated with raspberries, vanilla pods and lemon zest.

Taste

Unexpected strong. Fruit cake with ginger, honeyed hazelnuts and latte with caramel syrup. More hay bails.

Finish

Long. Spicy and drying. Coffee beans and creme brulee.

Overall

A very exciting Glendronach because it’s so different from other expressions. Highly recommended to everyone who wants to try out a more ‘naked’ than usual expression from this fine distillery. It doesn’t have to be always big sherried whiskies and wine cask finishes!

Score: 88 / 100