Glendronach 19 Years Old 1993 Cask #467

A distillery release of Glendronach, a 19 year old, from 1993, cask 467, at 58.1%, 613 bottles in all. Glendronach is a rich Highland malt from the Valley of Forgue, near Huntly. Its water is the Dronac Burn, which also gave the distillery its name. It was mothballed in 1996 and lay silent until production resumed in 2002.

The spirit was run slowly off the spirit still, shaping a rich Highland body with real weight. It was matured in an Oloroso sherry butt, the wood working deep into the malt. At oxidative maturity aldehydes lend a nutty edge while ellagitannins draw a drying, structured grip across the fruit. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Maturation runs slow and even in the traditional dunnage warehouses on the Forgue site.

At 58.1%, undiluted, it is dark and full. A rich orchard sweetness and dark sugar, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a full bodied Highland single malt of real richness.