Glendronach 50 Years Old

A 50 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, at 43.8%, 198 bottles in all. Glendronach is a Highland single malt, founded in 1826 near Huntly in Aberdeenshire. It joined William Teacher and Sons in 1960 and became a core malt of the Teacher's blend.

Worked unhurried through the stillhouse, building a deep malt of dried fruit and dark sugar. After ex-Bourbon maturation it took a multi cask finish, Pedro Ximenez among the wine and sherry woods. Ethereal and fragile, the decades draw it to a resinous, waxy depth of dried fruit, treacle and old oak. Maturation runs slow and even in the traditional dunnage warehouses on the Forgue site. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. The full bodied spirit takes active wood well, carrying its dark sugars through the years. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At its natural 43.8% it is rich and chewy. A rich, sherried sweetness, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Dried fruit and a treacle sit behind the spice. The finish runs long, full and warming. This is a rich Highland malt of dried fruit and chocolate.