There’s a new exclusive bottling for the members of the Whiskybase community, a GlenDronach 1995 bottled from a Pedro Ximénez sherry puncheon.
Now that the remaining casks from the excellent 1993 vintage are officially ‘on hold’ (read: reserved for official releases), most shops seem to turn to the 1995 vintage for their bottlings.
GlenDronach 19 yo 1995
(54,2%, OB for Whiskybase 2015, PX sherry puncheon #3804, 694 btl.)
GlenDronach 19 yo 1995Nose: starts in a heavyweight, bloated style, not entirely my favourite, with a certain old blend character (organics) and some oxtail soup. Big toffee notes, balsamic syrup and toasted pastry. Hazelnuts and prunes. After breathing I get some nicer, brighter hints of grapes and apricot jams, but they don’t seem to last. Bugger.
Mouth: again a little overweight, syrupy with plenty of prunes and gooey chocolate. Liquorice, a lot of burnt toast and hints of bitter oranges. Reminds me of a burnt moelleux. Cinnamon, chilli and coffee roast.
Finish: long, mixing syrupy notes, chocolate and oak spices.
Well, I’ve seen other 1995s that were similar and that I had difficulties with – even though they were applauded by many others. Too meaty on the nose, too much burnt notes on the palate. I think the previous 1993 for Whiskybase had more fruits, more sparkle and more quality, in my opinion. Around € 150, exclusive to Whiskybase.
Score: 84/100