Glendronach 1995 (Whiskybase) Review

“I Don’t Love You But I Think I Like You”

Country: Scotland

Region: Eastern Highlands
Brand: Glendronach 1995

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 19 Years  

ABV: 54.2%
Chill-Filtration: No  
Buying Advice: Difficult. I kinda liked this Malt but it's too expensive. 
Whisky Review # 571
Sample provided by Menno from the Netherlands. Many Thanks!

Colour: Dark Amber (Natural Colour)  

Nose: Please give this Glendronach enough time in the glass. The Alcohol is quite strong and you carefully need to find your way around it. The Sherry cask influence is obvious but fortunately I only get a very light Sulphur note that does not spoil the Nosing pleasure. The Nose is mainly Sweet but there are some Sour notes as well. I find Sweet Barley, Butterkekse, Caramel, Treacle, Brown Sugar, light Heather-Honey, Dried Fruits like Raisins and Figs, Assorted Nuts, Cherry-Flavoured Cough Drops, Orange Peel, Peach Marmalade, Lemon Peel, Fortified Red Wine, Blueberry cones, Wax, Dark Chocolate, Dusty Shelves, Polished Leather, Thyme, light Winter Spices, Tobacco, Fresh Cappuccino and Balsamic Vinegar. I like the Nose although the ABV is slightly too high. It should improve with a few drops of Water. 

Taste: Bitter Sweet, slightly Sour and more Herbal and Spicy than the Nose gave away. The Sherry influence is quite strong and you need to appreciate that specific Flavour profile to fully enjoy this Glendronach. There's a strong Tannic aspect to the Palate that won't work for everybody. I find Toasted Cereals, Burnt Toast, Caramel, Toffee, Brown Sugar, Treacle, Dried Fruits like Raisins and Figs, light Dark Honey, Orange Peel, Nutella, Apricot Jam, Blueberry cones, Wood, very light Sulphur, Pepper, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cinnamon, Ginger, Dried Herbs, Dark Chocolate and Licorice.         

Finish: Bitter-Sweet, Sour, Medium Spicy and quite Tannic with Toasted Cereals, Caramel, Toffee, Cappuccino, Dark Beer, Dark Red Fruit (Berries), Dried Fruits like Raisins and Plums, Dark Chocolate, Cocoa Powder, Orange Peel, Sherry, Dusty Shelves, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, Ginger, Licorice, Tobacco, Mint and Brown Sugar. Quite Dry in the end. The Dark and slightly Bitter Chocolate note stays with you for a while.

As I merely had a small sample at my disposal, I only tasted this Malt neat. 

Rating: 85.5  

Nose: 22 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21.5

General Remarks: Glendronach was founded in 1826 in the town of Forgue. It changed hands many times during its history. In 2008, Pernod Ricard sold the distillery to the owners of BenRiach. In 2016, Glendronach was bought by the Brown Forman Group.  

The Single Cask Glendronach 1995 I'm tasting today was distilled on September 20, 1995 and matured in an Ex Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon (cask # 3804) It was bottled for Whiskybase Rotterdam in August 2015. The cask provided a total of 694 bottles. It is priced at around 165 US Dollars (November 2016)

Drinking Experience Neat: Good 

Conclusion: In my opinion, this Glendronach is a great After-Dinner Whisky for those who also like Brandy, Port Wine or Madeira after a good meal. I say this because the PX Sherry influences are quite dark and strong. I quite liked the Tasting experience and it's a pity I only had a small sample. The title of this Review says it all as far as I'm concerned. The only serious problem with this Glendronach is the price. It's way too expensive and there are many cheaper alternatives, even within the Glendronach core range. The 18 Years Allardice comes to mind here. To sum it all up, the Glendronach 1995 is a good Single Malt but it's not sufficiently special to justify its price tag.   

Jan van den Ende                                                               November 3, 2016