Review #58 GlenDronach Peated: Scotch

Score: 8.5 / 10

Distillery: Glendroch

Type: Highland Single Malt

The GlenDronach has been on my radar for a while now. It has always been a favorite of a friends of mine, who would tell me about its history every time it came up. So you are also going to hear about it........ Right now!

Rumor was that James Allardice had difficulty selling his whisky in Edinburgh, because Glenlivet had control of the market. So he opened a brothel and paid his prostitutes with whisky, which helped spread the word about GlenDronach. Might not fly in today's world. I think brothels are doing harder stuff these days ha!

I was familiar with the 12, 15, 18 and 21 expressions from GlenDronach, but I was really intrigued when I saw The Peated expression so I snagged a bottle for about $60. Regardless, when it comes to scotch, GlenDronach is regarded as one of the best whisky brands.

46% ABV - 92 Proof. Served neat in a Glencairn glass.

Whiskey Review:

Nose: Green grapes, honey and honeysuckle. Deeper into the glass I found cacao and dark chocolate. All notes are accompanied by a subtle but ever-present earthy smoke with an even deeper layer of fresh oak.

Palate: Smoke touches the palate first but is immediately overwhelmed first by crisp apple, mixed berries (sherry?), vanilla, cinnamon, charred wood. then followed by a delectable malty chocolate that can be found on the roof of the mouth. This pour starts oily, but becomes more viscous through the drinking experience.

Finish: Medium finish. Tart berries linger, as a nice balanced campfire fire smoke returns to spend some quality time with your mouth.

Score: 8.5

Scale:

S+ Sensational - The Pinnacle (9.5+)

A - AXEceptional (astounding) (9-9.5)

B - bravo (step aBove average) (8-8.9)

C - competent (7-7.9)

D - disappointing (6-6.9)

F - flush it down the toilet (fail) (5.9 below)

Notes: Availability? Uncommon. This is one of the first time I have seen this expression, but I wasn't really looking for it either. After all, I think with the age and experience that Glendronach has, they know a little bit about what they are doing when it comes to supply.

Can we call this GDP? It might be nice to hear good things about that acronym for once. I'm taking it!