GlenDronach 19 Madira Cask Finish (46%)

One of the things I love about the whisky community is the prevalent idea of sharing. It comes in the form of samples being shared (I’ve exchanged samples with friends on three continents) and in the form of bottle shares, someone buying a bottle and splitting it up into usually seven parcels of 100 ml, usually with no profit being made other than the buyer of the bottle having access to buy a share for himself.

In that way, I’m lucky to be part of a thriving local community of aficionados bringing bottles into the country for sharing, six of which were recently divided among friends, this expression being part of them.

Part of an ongoing line of GlenDronach expressions exploring different combinations of aged spirit and finishing casks (from a 12 year old Sauternes to a 20 year old Tawny Port, with almost every conceivable combination in between. Some of these expressions were reviewed on this blog, you can check out the full list of GlenDronach reviews here).

Obviously, when it comes to finishes, some will be better than others, but all those I tasted were of the high quality I’ve come to expect from GlenDronach. It’s hardly surprising that in a recent informal poll taken in one of the many Facebook groups dedicated to whisky aficionados, asking what members’ favorite distilleries were, GlenDronach came in a very close second, with a pretty big gap between it and the number 3 contender on the list.

Photo Credit: thewhiskyexchange.com

GlenDronach 19 Year Old Madira Cask Finish (46% ABV, NCF, NC)

Appearance: Amber, slow legs and a lot of residue.

Nose: This is a rich nose. It stars off with a hit of rum-raisins ice cream. It’s very fruity, with yellow raisins, hint of golden delicious apple, banana peel, star fruit, sweet white wine and fresh white pepper. The nose imparts some dryness, and just a hint of sourness.

Palate: A sweet hit, with a touch of sourness and spice (pepper and a very faint hint of rosemary). There’s honey and malt and some dry tannins with a light fruity sweetness.

Linger: White wine sourness in the mouth, with some sweetness on the tongue. Drying overall with spice high in the gullet.

Conclusion

This is a great expression, with a beautiful interplay between the whisky and the wine. We would expect nothing less from GlenDronach, I just wonder if there may have been room for more of the Madeira influence…

Just a shout of appreciation to the local ring of bottle sharers: Yoav, Assaf, Yossi and Shane for bringing bottles over, and to the rest of the members for making full bottle shares possible by participating….