Tonight's whisky is the Glendronach 15 year 'Revival.' I already loved the 12 year thoroughly, it's a great example of a 'sherry-bomb.' This expression, the 15 year, was discontinued for a few years and became next to impossible to find. When available again I jumped and grabbed one.
Glendronach distillery lies in northeast Scotland, north of Aberdeen and barely east of the 'Speyside' region, which includes Dufftown. We've never quite made it to that corner of the country, and this distillery specifically would be near the top of my list if/when we return.
Turns out it's currently owned by Brown-Forman, an American spirits company, who also produces prominent brands Jack Daniel's, Old Forester and more. It's another old distillery (going back to 1826) with interesting ownership history and even closed from 1996 to 2001. I'm sure glad they reopened.
No Brian Cox again, so back to these two.
Admittedly I was a tad excited to open this bottle, and when I'm overly enthusiastic about a particular whiskey I do the opposite of what many people might. I don't crack it open as soon as possible, instead deciding to stash and think about it for a while. When I finally decide to dip in, it's almost a nervous moment. Did I get all excited for something that'll ultimately disappoint? Sometimes if it's more expensive I sit on them longer too. This bottle I bought in the $80-90 range, and it wouldn't be surprising priced over $100.
I did finally open it as part of the whiskey trade with a friend. He took home 2 oz and with the seal broken I had some later that night. It sure didn't disappoint.
Some info:
46% ABV (92 proof)
Matured entirely in sherry casks, either Oloroso or Pedro Ximenez ('PX')
15 years old, at least
Scotch from the Highland region
Here's the Whisky Exchange with tasting notes and more.
My thoughts ->
Smell: Definitely sherry, almost like rum, fruit and sugar, well aged with only bit of alcohol
Color: As the bottle states, 'bronze' is right, dark for a Scotch
Taste: Super rich with dried fruit (I think, not citrus), baking spices like cinnamon, chocolate?
Finish: Clean (very little burn) leaving a hint of numbing fruit, absolutely delightful
With the first sip, it was like in the movies when someone hears angels singing. It was that kind of feeling for me. Yeah it's overly dramatic, but immediately I knew I had something incredible. Extremely flavorful and rich, the sherry really shines while not overwhelming the complexity. Then it's easy to drink with that beautiful finish. Simply amazing. In ranking with my other favorite Scotches, after just one dram I wanted to put it at the very top, over even the entrenched champion Aberlour a'Bunadh. After a couple more I'm not as sure, though those two still lead the way.
As it's still only $83 on Flaviar right now I'm considering adding another one to the collection, even though I've never had more whiskey than I do now. Sometime later in life If I'm really feeling crazy they have an 18 year (for $180) and 21 year ($250) too.
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