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July 9, 2021



Summer Duets
Today Glendronach
Two regular OBs including the controversial 15 Revival, and then of course we'll add a bonus.

Glendronach 10 yo 'Forgue' (43%, OB, +/-2020)

Glendronach 10 yo 'Forgue' (43%, OB, +/-2020) Three stars
I've never tried this wee 10 for travel retail. It says it's ex-sherry but the colour's pretty light. Colour: light gold. Nose: no big sherry indeed, rather a lot of porridge, grist, burnt cereals, and only then the obligatory walnuts as well as touches of sour cherries. Some tea as well, burnt cake… It's all pretty pleasant but indeed a little 'travel retail'. I don't mean travel retail whiskies taste of kerosene! Mouth: a little harsh and oaky, with oranges and damsons plus a touch of cardamom. Burnt cake, burnt raisins, roasted almonds, bitter almonds. Ginger and cinnamon from the oak. The body's okay. Finish: medium, a tad on bitter beer, nutmeg, more cinnamon. Nicer oranges in the aftertaste. Comments: average Speysider, not in the bad sense of the word average. Not mindboggling but fine, there.
SGP:451 - 80 points.

Glendronach 15 yo 'Revival' (46%, OB, +/-2020)

Glendronach 15 yo 'Revival' (46%, OB, +/-2020) Four stars
I had thought it had lost a large part of its original oomph when I last tried the 15, back in 2018 (WF 81). That was already a version to which they had added PX. Seems that our friend Ralfy had noticed that it is now not 'non chill-filtered' anymore, not too sure why a bottler would take that away while still bottling at 46% col. But sometimes whisky is like wurst or the law, you wouldn't want to know how they make it. Colour: gold. Nose: same path as that of the 10, only a little hotter and with more raisins I would say. Same cherry stems, nuts, grist, burnt cake, a little metal polish… The first Revivals had been stunning more than ten years ago, but rumour had it that they had added much older whiskies to the vattings. As B.B. King would have said, the thrill is gone now. Mouth: still a pleasant whisky and I think I actually like it better than last time. I'm particularly fond of these mentholy and liquoricy notes, the sour oranges, this earthiness, and certainly the orange blossom (our pals the panettones, I love panettone and my birthday is… joking). Roasted nuts. Frankly, I find this pretty good, if not as thick and wide as the early batches. Finish: rather long, with a retro style. Earth and soot on top of sherry and all that. Roasted nuts in the aftertaste. Comments: Glendronach, you had me worried for a minute…
SGP:551 - 86 points.

Good, let's celebrate the possible revival of the Revival with a single cask…

Glendronach 26 yo 1993/2019 (51%, OB, for The Whisky List, Australia, First Fill Oloroso Sherry, cask #392, 657 bottles)

You're never quite sure if these are full-matured sherries or only finishings but that doesn't always matter. Few companies are totally transparent in that respect, well Diageo are. Colour: reddish amber. Nose: yep, rosehip tea, peonies, shoe polish, orangettes (zests dipped into chocolate), camphor and soft liquorice, then black earth and boletus. Even hints of black truffles. That's all fine and well, if not extremely oloroso-y. With water: oh what a wonderful earthiness! Would you forgive me if I wrote that it reminds me some ex-sherry Karuizawas? Mouth (neat): excellent! Huge walnuts, touch of burnt cakes and nuts, bags of liquorice, blood oranges, more orangettes, raisins, chouchen (remember, that's more or less distilled mead), touches of copper, pepper, mustard/Madeira… Excellent, really. With water: once again, it got earthier and a tad more mentholy, which is just superb indeed. Finish: long, the oranges being back and mingling with the liquorice, the mint and some tobacco. Comments: superlative 1993 Glendronach. I hate to add 'as expected'. Well selected, Australia!
SGP:562 - 91 points.

More tasting notesCheck the index of all Glendronach we've tasted so far







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