HMS Glendronach Turns Left

Glendronach 15 year old Tawny Port Finish - 46%

More cherry than sherry

Speyside has long been the seat of sherried whisky royalty and possibly, just possibly, there's a new King on the throne.

Sample provided by Matt Smith

This particular whisky however, is less about the sherry wood and more about the finishing cask. In 2010, Glendronach released a range of finished whiskies at 14-15 years old. Being Glendronach, the whiskies were presented at 46%, non-chillfiltered and at natural colour. This review will focus on the 15 year old Tawny Port finish, and boy, what a colour.

Nose:

Red fruits. Strawberries and damsons with a jolt of sweet balsamic grape must. Oranges and candied lemons.

Water unleashes a tidal wave of vanilla cream with the strawberry notes asserting dominance and fig rolls making a cameo.

Palate:

Sticky, syrupy mouthfeel. This is a real sweetie. Custard creams, vanilla wafers and milk chocolate. With a little time, it becomes a riot of fizzy summer fruits and gentle spice.

Water amps up the spiciness and brings some pleasant woodiness to the fore. Cinnamon and a touch of Cayenne with toffee and some wisps of rum/raisin. The fizz is still there but it's a little muddled.

Finish:

Slightly drying and medium-short. Competent and pleasant with waves of woodiness.

As with the nose, water brings out some spiciness. Wood tannins are still present but restrained and the finish draws out nicely.

Thoughts:

Glendronach bottlings have been consistently good over the last few years with some absolutely stunning single cask releases. This is a bit of a departure but a worthy attempt at a finished whisky. It's perhaps a little unbalanced but there's enough going on to keep things interesting.

Grade: B

A fizzy, summery dram that evokes memories of Wimbledon and picnics in Hyde Park. It's good but not rocking my world. At under £50 though, it's a contender.