GlenDronach The Hielan Review

“No Man’s Land”

Country: Scotland

Region: Eastern Highlands  

Brand: GlenDronach The Hielan

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 8 Years

ABV: 46%

Colour: Golden Amber 

Nose: Sweet, Sour and a bit Soapy at times. The Sherry is there but it's light when compared to other GlenDronach expressions. I feel that less Ex-Sherry Casks and, in general, more Refill Casks were used to mature The Hielan. I find Malt, slightly Sour Apples, Dried Fruit, Orange Peel, Caramel, Butterscotch, Honey, Charred Oak, Peanut Butter, Nuts and Wax. There's not an awful lot going on here and on the Nose The Hielan is a little bit boring. The Alcohol is not fully integrated. 

Palate: Young, Edgy, Bitter-Sweet and slightly Sour with Dried Fruits like Raisin and Apricot, Caramel, Malt, Breakfast Cereals, Nuts, light Honey, Charred Oak, Orange Peel, light Vanilla, Hot Spices (Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon) and some Cocoa Powder. The Alcohol is very present.

Finish: Middle-Long, Sweet and Sour, Hot, quite Dry and slightly Bitter towards the end. I find Malt, Grains, Caramel, Raisins, Nuts, Dried Fruit, Pepper, Oak, Apple-Vinegar, Buttered Porridge and Milk Chocolate. Again, the Alcohol is quite noticeable.

The Hielan does not benefit from added Water. Better sip it neat!

Rating: 81

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 20 - Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: The GlenDronach Distillery was founded in 1826 in Forgue (Aberdeenshire). It was sold in 2005 by Pernod-Ricard to the owners of the BenRiach Distillery (Billy Stewart and partners). The GlenDronach The Hielan was launched in 2015 to replace the 15 Years Revival. It matured in a mix of Ex-Bourbon, Ex-Oloroso and Ex-PX Casks. Prices vary in general between 30 and 50 US Dollars (August 2015). Like most distilleries, GlenDronach released a new, young Standard Expression. The lack of older stocks and the need to be able to compete with the increasing number of relatively cheap NAS expressions from other distilleries are likely to be the two main reasons behind the launching of The Hielan. I must congratulate GlenDronach on their choice. In my opinion any Age Statement is better than none! And in the old days it was quite normal for standard Malts to age between 6 and 10 years. It's also positive that The Hielan is naturally coloured and not Chill-Filtered.

Drinking Experience Neat: Average 

Conclusion: Whisky lovers like you and me are living difficult times. The quite unexpected growth of the Whisky consumption all over the world has driven up prices and swallowed up stocks of aged whisky. It has come to a point where aged Single Malt Whiskies have become too expensive for a large number of consumers. They are forced to consider rather boring Blended Whisky or the new wave of NAS Whiskies that is launched by many distilleries using fancy names and packaging. All this window dressing can not conceal the fact however that we as consumers are faced with a growing sea of young Whiskies. The GlenDronach Hielan is a good example. It's reasonably priced, it's got an age statement and it's drinkable although it's quite clear that GlenDronach had to relax the Wood Management in order to create an affordable Single Malt. But as far as maturation is concerned it should be ranged halfway between New Make Spirit and Matured Whisky in my opinion. The Hielan has an Unfinished feel to it. As I was tasting I laid the connection with "No Man's Land". And that's a place where nobody really wants to be!

Jan van den Ende                                                                    August 3, 2015