Glendronach 21 Years Old 1993 Cask #23

This official Glendronach, a 21 year old, from 1993, cask 23, at 52.1%, 681 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt known for its heavy Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry maturation. Its water is the Dronac Burn, which also gave the distillery its name. It joined William Teacher and Sons in 1960 and became a core malt of the Teacher's blend. The distillery was an early champion of sherry cask maturation, its malt charming Edinburgh society from the start. By 1862 it had grown into the largest duty paying distillery in the Highlands.

It was run slowly off the spirit still, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. Maturation came in an Oloroso sherry butt, layered over the full Glendronach make. Into oxidative maturity, slow air builds ripe esters and a darker chocolate, fig and date depth. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At a hearty 52.1% it carries real weight. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, with dried fruit, fig and walnut 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 deep, sherried Highland single malt.