The GlenDronach 29 Years Kingsman Edition is the second collaboration with the Kingsman film franchise, after the 1991 vintage which was released in 2017. It is linked to The King’s Man (postponed to 2021) which is set during the first World War. GlenDronach took inspiration from a 29 year-old expression bottled in 1913, which is the oldest bottle they have at the distillery.
The whisky is matured in Oloroso sherry and Pedro Ximénez casks, which is interesting – they way they put it probably means the PX casks came from outside the sherry region. In the accompanying info I saw we’re dealing with six Oloroso casks that have been re-racked to Pedro Ximénez.
GlenDronach 29 yo 1989 ‘Kingsman Edition’ (50,1%, OB 2020, 3052 btl.)
Nose: pretty lovely. Immediately there’s the polished oak and wine-like, fruity acidity that I love in sherry casks. Think raspberries, fresh plums and blackberries. Cherry Heering. Then leathery notes, brown sugar and cedar wood. Whiffs of Hoisin sauce. Herbal touches, tobacco leaves and plenty of minty freshness. Clean and very, very close to these wonderful 1972 single casks.
Mouth: quite impressive again, rather oily and keeping a nice balance between sweetness, herbal notes and a moderate bitterness. Prunes, roasted hazelnuts, chestnut honey, mixed with dark chocolate, coffee and drops of cough syrup or even aromatic bitters. Cinnamon, black pepper and nutmeg. The herbs are becoming a tad too strong now, loosing one or two points perhaps.
Finish: long and herbal, with tobacco leaf, orange peel and mint.
This is rich and deeply sherried: quite outstanding and one of the best GlenDronachs I’ve had in a long time. Good whisky probably improved with insightful re-racking, I would say. Of course the price is very high (even to the distillery’s own standards) but if your pockets are deep enough, you won’t be disappointed.