I have to admit this, sampling 3cl bottles, which I am today is not the same as 5cl by far. At least not for me.. 3cl is only one mouthful, yes, one should sip the whisky in moderation, but when drinking whisky, sometimes I feel the need for a bigger gulp to really enjoy it. As whisky flavor evolves when given time and air in a glass, 3cl is a little too little, when divided into four or five small sips. But then again, if a whisky is good, it's good, and that's what I'm about to find out here. I haven't tried too many sherried expressions of Glendronach so this will give me a great chance to do so. Last session with Glendronach just a short while back was very enjoyable.
Glendronach 20yo 1990-2011 50.1% OB cask#1032 Sherry Puncheon
If I'm not mistaken, a puncheons are about the biggest casks on the market, which usually means it is going to need more time to mature the whisky. Maybe this gives the same oak influence as 10 years in a bourbon hogshead? This cask alone has produced no less than 728 btls. Smells phenolic and dry sherry, cinnamon and cloves. Some raw shallots as well, sweet onion? Given time it develops into a more honeyed and matured style, much sweeter, like a rich perfume and fresh oil-based paint. The taste is huge, lots of sweetness, cardamum, cinnamon, honey at first before it all get shortly worn down by bitter phenolic notes and a spirity zing. One that needs water. With added water it bursts open and there's mint, paint again, leather, chevre and green olives. Dry and a wee bitter, but all in all a good whisky, I can't decide wether I liked it best bare or diluted.
Good stuff, but won't stand out as much more: 6
Glendronach 19yo 1991-2011 50.4% OB cask#3181 Sherry Puncheon
Another puncheon, maybe this time the sherry influence will not be so dominating, and some of the brilliant flavors I found in my last Glendronach-tasting will shine through in this one as well. This one seems even a bit darker than the last one. Needs more time to open up. Once that's done it becomes clear to me that this is not phenolic, it's not sweet, it's not even remotely sherried, it smells more like a middle dry red wine. Zinfandel? I don't complain as I love a good zinfandel based red wine. Sort of the Ruel Fox of red wines, always doing a good job, but sometimes proves a bit too short (read light-weight), unfortunately. The taste is Much thicker than the #1032, layers and layers of butter, honey, wax, licorice, soy beans, brie curd and black peppers. The aftertaste is more on the bitter and burning side, but a leap up from the #1032. No water in this one.
Thicker and fuller Glendronach: 6.5
Glendronach 21yo 1989-2011 54.1% OB cask#2917 Sherry Puncheon
By the way, all the whiskies up until now in this tasting have come from a PX sherry puncheon, the next two will be from Oloroso butts. This one is much lighter in color than the other two. Smells of turnips, licorice, mint, vanilla, leather, eraser and mashed juniper. A bit different than what I'd expected based on the previous two. The taste is thick and full, honey and cinnamon, the dessert whisky of the bunch. It lacks the phenolic and somewhat peppery aftertaste of the previous two, but that doesn't bother me. There is also sun-dried tomatoes, smoked & salted mutton leg(Norwegian christmas delicacy). Rustic, big, intense taste of layers upon layers of sweet and salty flavors.
Maybe the ultimate christmas whisky: 10
Glendronach 19yo 1992-2011 59.2% OB cask#161 Sherry Butt
Now this should bring something else to the table. What I have always admired with these Oloroso butts is that they seem to keep the %abv at very high level. Some even seem to exceed the alcohol volume after a while. I remember having a 35yo at 65% back in the days, don't remember, but I think it was an Inchgower, and I remember it was excellent. I know, many people are very interested in cask numbers, single casks, cask types, age and such, I do to a certain extent, but try not too. Cause when all is said and done, it comes down to this: Was it a good whisky? Nothing more, nothing less. This is the darkest of the bunch so far what color is concerned. Dark brownish stuff. It smells phenolic at first, not much more, I'll let it rest awhile. Now it becomes even more phenolic, completely overshadows anything else that might be there, I suspect this one might need water but I'm gonna try without first. The taste is a bit peppery and minty, but becomes phenolic and drying very soon. With water added. It's still phenolic, bitter, spirity and over-oaky.
This must be the biggest disappointment I've had so far from Glendronach: 2
Glendronach 17yo 1994-2001 60.1% OB cask#97 Sherry Butt
Another one from Oloroso sherry butt, I thought oloroso was more of a sweet dessert sherry, but if that is true, my last whisky couldn't be fetching much from the cask, or the cask wasn't fetching much from the sherry, who knows. But the color was much darker than this one anyway. It smells sharper, more spirity, grainier, almost as if it'd come from a second or third refill cask. That settles quickly and it gets sweeter, lighter, banana, malt syrup and ginger. Very sweet and light. This reminds me of the HP12 back in the days when the sherry content were higher. The taste is sweet dry and burnt, like burnt sugar and rucola. Needs water. With water it gets blander, nothing much going on here. sweet, dry and burnt, but less off-notes than the #161. I can't have much more of this, it's so weak despite 60+%abv.
Another version that failed miserable as to what I expected/hoped for: 2.5
Next tasting: Grain Distilleries
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