GlenDronach 12 Year – Rachel Barrie

GlenDronach is a classically sherried whisky. The meaty, sturdy spirit distilled near the Dronach Burn in Speyside is naturally suited to long aging in ex-sherry casks. Most of the products on the shelf are bottled from the stocks of maturing whisky distilled by the previous owners. Now that the Benriach Distilling Company owns it (since 2008), we can expect to begin seeing offerings from this distillery that both enforce the “sherry monster” reputation, as well as explorations into new avenues of expression. For example, a 20-year and soon a 15-year bottling finished in tawny port casks. Looking forward to trying those!

The 12 year-old “Original” product, re-launched in 2009, is entirely aged in ex-sherry casks, some Pedro Ximinez and some Oloroso. It is non-chill-filtered, no coloring added, and bottled at 43% ABV. The more I drink good whisky the more I appreciate seeing those declarations on labels.