This GlenDronach 2002 was bottled for The Whisky Fair (check the related GlenDronach 1993 for The Whisky Agency). These 2002 casks are the oldest ones filled at the distillery under the new ownership, after it had been mothballed since 1996.
It was drawn from a Pedro Ximénez sherry puncheon (bigger than a hogshead, smaller than a butt). Not sure whether this means full maturation or just a finishing period like here, or maybe even a re-racked cask.
Update: a well deserved Best Sherried Whisky award for this one (Malt Maniacs Awards 2013).
GlenDronach 10 yo 2002
(52,8%, OB for The Whisky Fair 2013, Pedro Ximénez puncheon #710, 665 btl.)
GlenDronach 10 yo 2002Nose: honey, maple syrup and a caramel mocha latte note. Some spicy notes like cinnamon and candied ginger. Sweet nuts. Some brown sugar and sourish red berries. Leather. Hints of smoke or toasted oak in the background. Overall less profoundly sherried than you would expect.
Mouth: again quite spicy, quite some white pepper at first, then also cinnamon and cloves. Dark chocolate. Plenty of classic sultanas, sweet plums and dates, as well as a hint of orange jam. A little fudge. Some oak and coffee.
Finish: long and warming, with the spices up front and a lingering dark plum sweetness behind them.
Quite a spicy GlenDronach, a bit of a ‘punche(on)ed up’ version with some nervous elements alongside more classic notes. Around € 75.
Score: 88/100