Glendronach 20 Years Old 1995 Cask #5401

This official Glendronach, a 20 year old, from 1995, cask 5401, at 54.1%, 626 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt whose founder was an early champion of sherry cask maturation. It was bought in 2008 by Billy Walker's BenRiach company, who rebuilt it as a heavily sherried single malt.

It was drawn from a thick, heavy wash, for the rich, sherried make Glendronach is known for. It was matured in a Pedro Ximenez cask, the wood working deep into the malt. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. 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. 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 a hearty 54.1% it carries real weight. Baked apple, honey and a dark chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. A long finish carries raisin, chocolate and a treacle. This is a Highland single malt of real standing.