Glendronach 14 Years Old 2011 Cask #161610 (Jewish Whisky Company)

Jewish Whisky Company bottled this Glendronach, a 14 year old, distilled in 2011, from cask 161610, at 57.4%, one of 228 bottles. Glendronach is a Highland single malt, long a blending malt and now a sherry led name in its own right. By 1862 it had grown into the largest duty paying distillery in the Highlands. It ferments in Oregon pine washbacks over long fermentations for a full, fruity spirit.

Taken gently through wash and spirit stills, for the rich, sherried make Glendronach is known for. It was matured in ex-Bourbon oak and finished in a Palo Cortado sherry barrique, a layer of Palo Cortado over the bourbon vanilla. Through integration spirit and wood marry, vanillin rounding out as esters lend riper orchard fruit and a chocolate depth. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Active first fill sherry wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

At its natural 57.4% it is rich and chewy. A deep, dark sweetness, with a dry, nutty, savoury depth from the cask. A dark chocolate and a soft oak give it weight. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a richly sherried Highland single malt.