Glendronach Cask Strength (Batch 12)

A distillery release of Glendronach, at 58.2%. Glendronach is a rich Highland malt from the Valley of Forgue, near Huntly. 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. 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 to a rich, generous cut, for a weighty, full spirit the sherry casks then deepen. It was matured in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks, each wood adding to the dark, dried fruit. Without an age statement, a dark sugar and dried fruit point to good years in cask. Years in oak deepen the spirit to a darker gold, the body growing rounder and more resinous with time. Long ageing turns the fresh notes towards date, prune and a dark, bittersweet chocolate.

At a hearty 58.2% it carries real weight. A deep, dark sweetness, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. Fig, honey and a dark chocolate fill the middle. The finish is rounded, dark and spiced. This is the sherry led malt of Forgue.