28 October 2015 Ruben GlenDronach

GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival (2014)

Name: GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival (2014)
Brand: GlenDronach
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

I reviewed the GlenDronach 15 Years back in 2009 when it had just been relaunched by its new owners. I wasn’t entirely convinced because of some sulphury notes so now I’m keen to see what the recent batches are like, five years later.

As you may know, GlenDronach was mothballed from 1996 until May 2002. This production gap forces the distillery to use much older casks for certain expressions. I bought this 15 Year Old a few weeks ago and was bottled May 2014, which means the whisky inside must be at least 18-19 years old. Bargain alert!

Unfortunately this is also why this bottling has become a bit more expensive lately and – more importantly – really hard to find. The biggest UK retailers are out of stock. I’m not even sure if there were any bottlings in 2015? In any case GlenDronach is phasing it out until it can use proper 15yo casks again, some time in 2017-2018.

GlenDronach 15 yo ‘Revival’
(46%, OB 2014)

Nose: really nice! Intense sherry notes, with prunes, raisins and dried apricots, as well as some blackberry jam. Light chocolate notes. Hints of tobacco. Some nice hints of raspberry ganache. Cherries. Also nutty notes (honey-coated pecans) and oranges with cloves.

Mouth: dried fruits again, mixed with loads of milk chocolate. Figs and dates. Hints of coffee. Cinnamon and pepper. Maybe lacking a bit of the compact power that most single casks do have, but nonetheless a clean, balanced sherried whisky.

Finish: long, with a spicy sweetness, chocolate and red fruits.

A big improvement. Once again this proves that popular whiskies can have significant batch variation. Now you’re disappointed, in a year or so you might love it. Good stuff and undeniable value for money. Grab it while you can. Around € 50-60.

Score: 88/100

8Comments

Add yours

1

Thijs | WoW on 28 October 2015 at 09:45

I have a 2015 sample waiting to be reviewed 🙂
2

Rogier on 28 October 2015 at 11:29

It has actually been discontinued, or at least will be very soon, for the next three years:
http://wordsofwhisky.com/glendronach-15-discontinued-for-3-years/
3

GlenPiWi on 29 October 2015 at 07:55

Closed down in 1996 – bottled 2015, that gives is a maximum of 19 years old, not 20.
4

MARS on 5 November 2015 at 13:33

They are bottling almost every month of 2015 until may at least.
That said, I find them not as good as the previous one(less sherried). The best period for me i around the end of 2012, beginning of 2013(especially september 2012. September 2013 is also a good one).
They are quite some sulphur in the batch of february 2015 (still, I like it)

It is indeed discontinued till 2018 at least. I scare a huge increase in price also when it will go out again. For the quality, we will see.
5

Arild Een on 26 November 2016 at 10:39

Sometimes distilleries keep ready-to-bottle-whisky in large vessels (plastic, metal, other) for a long period of time (years even). This is done to end the maturing process of the certain whisky and to free casks for storing new make. It is also done to marry the VAT. This practise could also apply to the Glendronach 15, meaning that it is not a given that the 2014/15 releases are 18-19-20 years old. The quality, however, is undeniable.
6

WhiskyNotes on 26 November 2016 at 11:23

Given the popularity of GlenDronach, I don’t think they could have stored several years worth of whisky in stainless steel. Also, this would mean too many casks are emptied at once, which would be hard to fill with new spirit in time. It’s a short term solution sometimes, but I don’t think it’s a structural one.
7

Arild Een on 26 November 2016 at 18:58

In that case I look forward to purchasing 25 year old GlenDronach labeled as Allardice in a few years time;) My money is on them storing in vessels/bottles for years before putting it out. The spare casks that accumulates are also, in addition to storing new make in, used for finishing whisky. We know GlenDronach has done so extensively over the last few years.
8

Tony D. on 13 January 2017 at 15:32

Just opened the 2015 bottling of this whisky last night and boy is this a stellar dram! The aroma, and I recommend holding the whisky in the mouth for longer as I got a rush of flavors that kept on evolving picking up all sorts of fruit note, ending with a lasting and balanced sweet finish!

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