Glendronach 33 Years Old

Glendronach from the distillery, a 33 year old, at 40%. Glendronach is a rich Highland malt from the Valley of Forgue, near Huntly. It was mothballed in 1996 and lay silent until production resumed in 2002. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005.

It was taken gently through wash and spirit stills, for a weighty make built to take active Spanish oak. An Oloroso cask held it, drawing the rich spirit on over the years. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. 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. 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.

Reduced to 40%, it is mellow and sweet. A rich, sherried sweetness, with dried fruit, fig and walnut from the cask. The body is full and rich, the fruit deep and dark. The close is rich and dark, fruit over a warm spice. This is the sherry led malt of Forgue.