Glendronach 18 Years Old 1994

Glendronach from the distillery, an 18 year old, from 1994, cask 3547, at 55.1%, 607 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. It was bought in 2008 by Billy Walker's BenRiach company, who rebuilt it as a heavily sherried single malt.

It was distilled to a rich, generous cut, for a weighty make built to take active Spanish oak. Maturation came in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, layered over the full Glendronach make. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At its natural 55.1% it is rich and chewy. A rich, sherried sweetness, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a dark, fruity Highland single malt.