Glendronach 31 Years Old Cask #Batch 2

A 31 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, cask Batch 2, at 45.8%, 502 bottles in all. Glendronach is a richly sherried Highland single malt from the Valley of Forgue, built on full bodied spirit and Spanish oak. It ferments in Oregon pine washbacks over long fermentations for a full, fruity spirit. It passed to Brown Forman, owner of Jack Daniel's, in 2016 as part of a 285 million pound deal. It was bought in 1920 by Charles Grant, a son of the founder of Glenfiddich.

Distilled in copper pot stills, for a weighty, full spirit the sherry casks then deepen. An Oloroso cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. At a great, fragile age oxidation rules, sotolon lending maple and dried fig as beeswax and old leather linger. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time.

At its natural 45.8% it is rich and chewy. A deep, dark sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. A baked apple and a warm cinnamon lift the middle. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a Highland single malt of real standing.