Glendronach 8 Years Old (Dumpy Green Bottle, Teacher’s)

An 8 year old Glendronach, a distillery bottling, at 45.7%. Glendronach is a deep, dark Highland malt of dried fruit, chocolate and spice. It was mothballed in 1996 and lay silent until production resumed in 2002. It joined William Teacher and Sons in 1960 and became a core malt of the Teacher's blend. It was the last distillery in Scotland to fire its stills with coal, converting to steam only in 2005. It was bought in 1920 by Charles Grant, a son of the founder of Glenfiddich.

Worked unhurried through the stillhouse, shaping a rich Highland body with real weight. A bourbon barrel held it, the wood adding a soft honey over the fruit. At an extractive age eugenol lends a clove note and lactones a coconut, the spirit rich, fruity and full. Active first fill sherry wood drives the maturation, the cask deep in the malt. The casks are picked closely, the wood matched to the rich Glendronach make.

At 45.7% it is smooth and rich. Orange, raisin and a treacle edge, lifted by a sweet oak. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. Dried fruit, spice and a soft oak see it out. This is Glendronach's deep, fruity Highland style.