Glendronach 29 Years Old 1992

A 29 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, from 1992, cask 71, at 50.7%, 504 bottles in all. Glendronach is a rich Highland malt from the Valley of Forgue, near Huntly. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005. It was founded in 1826 by James Allardice, said to be the second man in Scotland to take a licence after the Excise Act of 1823.

The spirit was worked unhurried through the stillhouse, giving a deep, full bodied Highland spirit. It was matured in an Oloroso sherry butt, 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. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The wood frames the spirit without ever stripping the full Highland body.

At 50.7%, undiluted, it is dark and full. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. Beneath it run dried fruit, dark sugar and a warm spice. A deep finish ends on dried fruit and a dark chocolate. This is a full bodied Highland single malt of real richness.