Glendronach 27 Years Old 1985

A 27 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, from 1985, cask 1035, at 53.7%, 290 bottles in all. Glendronach is a deep, dark Highland malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. It passed to Brown Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's, in 2016 as part of a 285 million pound deal. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005. Its whisky is now overseen by the master blender Dr Rachel Barrie.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, giving a deep, full bodied Highland spirit. It was matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, the wood working deep into the malt. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. Maturation runs slow and even in the traditional dunnage warehouses on the Forgue site. Active first fill sherry wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

At a hearty 53.7% it carries real weight. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a deep, sherried Highland single malt.