Glendronach 12 Years Old

A 12 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, at 46%, 3000 bottles in all. Glendronach is a rich Highland malt from the Valley of Forgue, near Huntly. It passed to Brown Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's, in 2016 as part of a 285 million pound deal. Its water is the Dronac Burn, which also gave the distillery its name. It ferments in Oregon pine washbacks over long fermentations for a full, fruity spirit.

Distilled to a rich, generous cut, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. An Oloroso cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. By the integrating teens the raw notes fade and esters build, the rich spirit growing rounder and darker. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich Glendronach make. 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.

Bottled at 46%, it is rounded and full. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a richly sherried Highland single malt.