Glendronach Traditionally Peated

Glendronach from the distillery, at 48%. Glendronach is a Highland single malt, here in peated form, a sweet smoke laid over the sherry. It was mothballed in 1996 and lay silent until production resumed in 2002. 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. By 1862 it had grown into the largest duty paying distillery in the Highlands.

It was distilled from peated malt in copper pot stills, for a weighty, ester laden spirit carrying a gentle peat. Maturation ran across Pedro Ximenez, Oloroso and Port casks, layered over the Glendronach spirit. With no age statement, vanillin reads as vanilla and oak lactones as coconut over the rich, fruity spirit. 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.

Bottled at a cask strength 48%, it is deep and concentrated. Soft smoke, honey and a dark chocolate, with raisin, date and treacle from the cask. It is full and smoky, the spirit carrying the peat. It finishes long, smoky and full. This is a peated Highland malt of real standing.