Glendronach 18 Years Old 1995 Cask #1732

An 18 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, from 1995, cask 1732, at 54.6%, 697 bottles in all. Glendronach is a deep, dark Highland malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. The distillery was an early champion of sherry cask maturation, its malt charming Edinburgh society from the start. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005.

It was distilled in copper pot stills, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. It was fully matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, the wood deep in the rich spirit. Through oxidative maturity the esters concentrate, the orchard notes turning to raisin, fig and a dark chocolate. Vanillin and oak lactones from the wood lend vanilla and a soft coconut over the fruit. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Active first fill sherry wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt.

At 54.6%, undiluted, it is dark and full. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. A dark chocolate and a soft oak give it weight. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is a richly sherried Highland single malt.