Scotch Whisky Review #156: Glendronach Cask Strength (Batch 7)

Distillery: Glendronach

Region: Speyside

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/pwnedapanda

ABV: 57.9%

Age: NAS

Color: 1.2, Chestnut/Oloroso Sherry. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

Nose: (according to the wife) It smells like a bunch of slightly under-ripe, not quite sweet yet, pineapple with a side of pears. She guessed this will be a bit on the bitter side as well.

Palate: Really thin mouthfeel. It’s super fiery and not all of that is from the alcohol itself. There’s a lot of spices up front including clove and candied ginger. Then it turns a bit bitter and harsh (good job wife on guessing correctly!). Bitter lavender comes out along with mineral water. There’s a tiny bit of green apple mixed in between. With water, it cools considerably but gets even more bitter with lots of oak spices come out with a bit of malt.

Finish: Medium in length. Very ethanol like (even with water). Lots of bitter mineral water notes. This only gets worse with water.

Conclusion: I had the pleasure to sit down the other day and compare two of the Glendronach Cask Strengths (Batch 7 and Batch 8) side by side. Even without the comparison (spoiler alert: Batch 8 was real tasty), I think it’s pretty clear to say that this one is a dud. It’s nothing like what I’ve come to expect from a Glendronach, the sherry influence is nonexistent and the whisky is just hot, bitter, and harsh. I have to admit, I had a hard time drinking this. I guess even the best have an off day at times. Would I buy a bottle? Unfortunately, no.

Final Score: 67.

Scotch Whisky Review #156, Speyside Review #64, Whisky Network Review #207

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 (if feasible).
• 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.