Glendronach 33 Years Old 1978

A 33 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, from 1978, cask 1068, at 52.9%, 318 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt, founded in 1826 near Huntly in Aberdeenshire. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005. It ferments in Oregon pine washbacks over long fermentations for a full, fruity spirit.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. An Oloroso sherry puncheon held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. In its ethereal years the malt turns waxy and oxidative, faded esters and a whisper of sotolon over dark fruit. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Maturation runs slow and even in the traditional dunnage warehouses on the Forgue site.

At a hearty 52.9% it carries real weight. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a rich Highland malt of dried fruit and chocolate.