Glendronach 40 Years Old

A 40 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, at 43.9%, 300 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt, founded in 1826 near Huntly in Aberdeenshire. It was bought in 1920 by Charles Grant, a son of the founder of Glenfiddich. Its water is the Dronac Burn, which also gave the distillery its name.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. A marriage of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks held it, deep and dark in the rich make. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At a natural 43.9% it is full and rich. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. It finishes long, full and fruity. This is a deep, sherried Highland single malt.