Review #135 - GlenDronach 12 Year
This has to be one of the most hyped up distilleries that we've found through our online research (reading reviews, watching videos, looking for recommendations). Previously owned by Billy Walker's team, GlenDronach was revived and turn into a fan favorite with its balanced sherry cask maturation and improved bottling stats, such as higher strength, high age statements, and lack of additives/filtration.
For our introduction to the brand, we went to the entry-level 12 Year, one of the whiskies we see recommended most often when newer whisky enthusiasts are looking for next steps, especially in the sherried direction. This is presented at 43%, not quite as high a strength as we would prefer, but we're hoping the quality of the distillate and casks can make up for that.
GlenDronach 12 Year
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Price Paid: USD 53 (2022)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 60 (2023)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: PX and Oloroso casks from Spain
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 80% (blind tasting), 60% (blind tasting), and 50% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Pleasant and rounded, a little soft, with plenty of fruity wine notes: nuts and figs and cinnamon, sweet grape, brown sugar-like baking spices, cherries and strawberry. The longer the bottle was open, the more the nose transitioned to stewed fruits like prune, along with a bit more wood spice: pepper, dry oak, even just a whiff of wood smoke at the top of the glass. Sweet, reddish-purple fruits are really the star of the show.
Palate: Sort of cozy and warm for 43% ABV, with a medium-thin mouthfeel. Still a lot of fruit, in the realm of prune, blood orange, seedy raisins, figs, and freeze-dried strawberry; there's more spice now, with cinnamon, clove, cardamom, your typical 'Christmas spice' notes. Oak is pretty mild, and with more time, some chocolate and perfume creep out in the palate. In individual tastings, we found the occasional caramel, nutmeg, and molasses flavor.
Finish: Medium length, pleasant and gentle, with a soft texture and mild flavors. Not particularly oaky, not showing a lot of age, but there are stewed and dried fruits, a hint of malty chocolate, and some candied nuts. We finish with a gentle orange fruit note.
Final Note: Fruit-forward, cask heavy... it's fine. The flavors are all in one vein, not leading to a lot of complexity, and the lower ABV does let this down on the mouthfeel and the length of the finish, but it's a pleasant sipper. Great for an entry level palate or a casual drink if you don't want to analyze, but if you're looking for something complex and interesting, you'll probably move on past this. Value is alright - this is still somewhat reasonably priced, in the $55 to $60 range near us, but the price is creeping up.
Our Average Rating: 6.1 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.39
