Review #50: Glendronach 18 Year Allardice

Region: Speyside

ABV: 46%

Age: 18 Year on the bottle, date stamp shows it is a 2016 bottling making this at least 21 years old at the time of bottling.

Price: $150

Color: 1.6, Mahogany / Henna Notes. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered

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Nose (according to the wife): Well aged oak but not so old that it’s starting to deteriorate coupled with overriped plums. This was a little more ethanol-y than expected.

Palate: Sherry, sherry, and more sherry—just like you expect out of a good Glendronach. Unlike their cask strength or 12 year old editions though, this sherry bomb is a little different. The sherry comes in the form of a very well aged sherry with deep flavor rather than the sweet type you normally find. There are some dark chocolate shavings that give it a bit of an earthy tone along with some all spice and orange peels. The mouthfeel is a bit thin, which is disappointing. With a bit of water, you get some lovely velvety cherries which make this extremely rich.

Finish: Extremely long. There’s a bit of ginger along with some nuttiness. The warmth from the spices and the sherry really linger.

Conclusion: Scotch Review #50 and just in time for Christmas. This particular whisky is the last of three well-aged scotches my wife gave me for Christmas—the first was a 18 year old Loch Lomond and the second was a 18 year old Oban. I love a good sherried whisky and this one is no exception. The nose is a bit disappointing with the ethanol note being a bit off putting but the palate makes up for it. The rich, aged sherry is delicious and marries so well with the dark chocolate, cherries, and orange peels. The finish is nice and long with a wonderful lingering warmth. Delicious. Would I buy another bottle? I don’t think I’ll run through this one anytime soon but most likely.

Final Score: 92

Scotch whisky review #50, Speyside review #24, Whisky Network Review #67

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.