The GlenDronach Parliament Aged 21 Years Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70 cl

Product Information

Palate: Golden syrup, soft, juicy raisins, tangy oak notes, peach, cherry blossom, cocoa and honeydew melon. GlenDronach is known for long maturation periods in sherry casks. The GlenDronach 21 yo is no exception as it was aged in a combination of Spanish Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso casks from Andalucía. The core collection includes a 12 yo, 15 yo, 18 yo, and even a peated expression. Last year, the GlenDronach 18 yo whisky was one of the best drams I tried during the year. It will be interesting to see if how the additional time in the sherry casks matures the whisky.

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Whisky reviews for Glendronach 21-year-old

Nose: Rich luscious and sexy sherry profile. Very sweet. Golden syrup. Honey. Dried fruit especially plums and raisins. A tad vinegary. And a tad meaty too going to bouillon country quite fresh for the age of 21! Nose: Soft smoke and lemon juice, cedar wood, apple peel, toasty oak, soft earth, date and walnut cake and a hint of freshly made espresso. The palate features a pronounced sherry sweetness with a smooth velvet character and a pronounced palate weight. There are dried fruit flavors, especially raisin and fig, red fruit notes of cherry, strawberry and raspberry, along with some citrus zest, and almond. There are also some notes of milk chocolate and buttery croissant, think pain au chocolat, that emerge with a little time. The company has a long history of producing sherried malts, maturing its whiskies either in Oloroso sherry butts or in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez (PX) casks.

After greatly enjoying the 15yo Revival (and to lesser extents the 8yo, 12yo, and 18yo), I looked forward to what the additional influence of PX (and 6 years) would have on GlenDronach. Cherry toffee. Cherry sauce drizzle on ice cream-van ice cream. Creamy vanilla jam, like clotted cream and jam on a scone. Grapey, more spice – a little more tingle on the tongue. Vague nuttiness, and cinnamon-dusted raisins. The 12yo expression of Glendronach is increasingly well-regarded by experts and like its 15yo older brother, this is a complex and involving whisky. As stated elsewhere, ths table and its accompanying calculations are inaccurate. Fact is that GlenDronach was mothballed in 1996 and reopened in May 2002, but it would be nice if the calculations had been properly verified. Finish: long and lingering. More notes of wine and coffee, a touch of liquorice, lychees, dark chocolate, strips of leather, tobacco, with a light undertone of vanilla and orange oil.

About The Distillery

GlenDronach at its finest! This wonderful expression spends a second maturation period in Port pipes from Douro Valley in Portugal, imparting gloriously rich, fruity depth to this wonderful Highlander. No, this is not the whisky they serve at the Member’s Bar at Westminster. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords have their own custom whisky, as does the Speaker of the Commons, but this whisky isn’t it. The color is a rich, deep gold. On the nose, there are notes of milk chocolate and brown sugar, along with notes of apple, pear, cherry and a bit of grilled pineapple and some anise. The GlenDronach distillery lies at the Dronach Burn in the Deveron area. The whisky distillery was founded in 1826, by a syndicate headed by James Allardes. Thanks to the fifth Duke of Gordon, distillation throughout the highlands was legalized in the early 19th century. It is said the duke encouraged the group to build GlenDronach. The distillery changed hands in 1852, to Walter Scott of Teaninich. Following his death, a group from Leith acquired the distillery.