Glendronach 23 Years Old 1994

A distillery release of Glendronach, a 23 year old, from 1994, cask 125, at 54%, 707 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt known for its heavy Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry maturation. It was bought in 1920 by Charles Grant, a son of the founder of Glenfiddich. The distillery was an early champion of sherry cask maturation, its malt charming Edinburgh society from the start.

Drawn from a thick, heavy wash, for a weighty make built to take active Spanish oak. It was matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, the wood working deep into the malt. In the oxidative, evaporative years the spirit concentrates to dried fruit, dark chocolate and a waxy, resinous depth. The full spirit deepens with time, the cask drawing out its darker register. Maturation runs slow and even in the traditional dunnage warehouses on the Forgue site.

At a hearty 54% it carries real weight. Fig, walnut and a bittersweet chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The finish is long, rich and spiced. This is a full bodied Highland single malt of real richness.