A NAS GlenDronach today, entitled The Doric. It’s an affordable dram with a strong abv in place of an age statement. Trends are trends, right? It seems that for the moment this is just for Taiwan. Hopefully this isn’t a testing ground for a whisky that’s being poised to replace the 12 someday. Then again, maybe I’m being too cynical. Let’s go.

Nose: Closed off initially. After a few minutes... still slightly closed. Caramel, tannins, dark raisins, figs, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk chocolate, apple pie.

Palate: Medium bodied, with strong spices. Big sherry, raisins, baked apple, coffee-flavoured chocolate, cinnamon, cherry, and faint orange.

Finish: Medium length with a lot of intensity. This is malty and prickly. Cinnamon, white pepper, woodspice, nutmeg, orange juice, apples, raisins, anise, coffee, dark chocolate, malt, oak, with lingering cream.

Thoughts: As expected, there’s a solid caliber of sherry here. And while there may be quite a few tasting notes (there always are with Dronach), they aren’t as dynamic or harmonious as I’m used to from the brand. It’s also quite a fiery dram. The spices are a bit too assertive in this one. They have a cumulative effect that tires me of this whisky rather quickly. Also, if I’m having a tasting session, I find my palate in a lesser state after drinking this. There are good flavours here, but it’s not the most balanced Dronach. There’s added kick from the alcohol and a quality sherry presence, and I’m sure that’s enough for a lot of people. Still a bit prickly for me. I’m not in love.

嗅覺:
*剛開始的味道感覺好像出不來,靜置幾分鐘後變得比較好.
*焦糖,雪莉,葡萄乾,乾椰棗, 肉桂,荳蔻,牛奶巧克力,蘋果派.
味覺:
*口感適中,木質辛香料.
*濃郁的雪莉,葡萄乾,烤蘋果,咖啡巧克力,肉桂,櫻桃,淡淡橘子味.
後味:
*後味中長,辛香味持續令人驚艷,帶有麻麻的口感.
*肉桂,白胡椒,木質香料,荳蔻,橘子汁,蘋果,葡萄乾,八角,咖啡,黑巧克力,黑麥,橡木.
 
評語:
*這是一酒精濃度偏高的無年份的威士忌.我想這一陣子的流行吧!
通常格蘭多納的雪莉品質都很好,但是比起其他款的格蘭多納,這一瓶顯的不夠平衡.
我也發現口感太麻,辛香料有點重,第一口還OK,但是幾口後就覺得麻麻的辛香感太多了,
如果要在同一個時段常喝不同的威士忌,我一定不會把這瓶列入考慮,
因為他會讓我有點吃去味覺得判斷.不果如果你只是要單純的濃郁雪莉和酒精的陪伴,可以試試看!
不是我的菜.

GlenDronach 18 doesn’t get much love. Its 15 year old brother seems to be the brand’s poster child, and a benchmark to which the rest of the range gets compared. As the 18 year old is both more expensive and less “accessible,” it’s perfectly normal that it takes a bit of flak. But we’ve still got to try it, haven’t we?

Nose: Deep, dark, and very fruity. Huge sherry, raisin, Christmas cake, prune juice, strawberry, Terry’s Dark Chocolate Orange, leather, oak, and black forest cake.

Palate: Rich, silky, and mouth-coating. Black forest cake, molasses, Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut, walnuts, raisins, leather, and some cayenne pepper.

Finish: Somewhat long. Gets much nuttier here. Pistachios, walnuts, and hazelnuts. Dark chocolate, molasses, whipped cream, dates, wet oak, ginger, leather, and fennel (think mukhwa).

Thoughts: “Darkness, everyone!” It’s a pretty brooding ‘Dronach. Those Oloroso casks were "active" to say the least. As comparing it to the Revival is mandatory, I’ll start off by saying no, it’s not as good. It’s not as bright or accessible as the 12 or the 15. Closest perhaps in character to the Platinum 16, as it’s a dark, serious creature. It’s murky, with a sweeping molasses note leaving many of the peripheral flavours slightly out of focus.

Still, there’s enough charm here. First, the prune juice nose. No, I wouldn’t want all whisky to smell like this, but it works here. Next there’s the rich, silky mouthfeel, which fools us into thinking it’s a thicker whisky. Finally, the dark, fruity character has both depth and intensity. It’s certainly the darkest of the regular ‘Dronachs, which throws people off, I’m sure. I do think it has a place in the range, although it’s too heavy to come back to with much frequency. It’s no legend, admittedly.

嗅覺:
*帶有果香和雪莉味.
*雪莉,葡萄乾,黑棗汁,草莓,橘子巧克力,皮革,橡木,黑森林蛋糕.
味覺:
*濃郁絲緞般的覆蓋在味蕾上.
*黑森林蛋糕.糖蜜,水果乾,巧克力,核桃,葡萄乾,皮革,辣椒粉.
後味:
*後味長,帶堅果味.
*核桃,開心果,榛果,黑巧克力,糖蜜,鮮奶油,椰棗,潮濕的橡木,薑,皮革,茴香.
 
評語:
*是一瓶不管色澤和味道都較深的酒.
大部分的人偏好15年份的酒因為味道較輕盈,明亮,層次也多,
但這款整體來說較陰沉灰暗,因為糖蜜的味道蓋住了其它香氣,所以變的較朦朧.
讓我想到16年份PLATINUM,因為也是味道嚴肅,沉重.
不是我個人最愛的GLENDRONACH 但是在這一系列中顯的很特別.
因為酒體味道較為嚴肅,所以建議在想要思考一些哲學或是人生大道理的時候喝.

Here’s a 19 year old cask strength GlenDronach, distilled in 1995. Apparently this was released for the German market. Despite having a vintage listed, it’s not one of the single cask offerings that seem to be everywhere these days. I’ve never been one to turn down a good sherried dram. Let’s try.

Nose: Very sherry. Sultanas, dates, raisins, wine tannins, Christmas cake, dark chocolate, nutmeg, black grapes, plum, caramel, and grapefruit. Not unexpected, but big and rich.

Palate: Sweet, fruity, and big, with a medium mouthfeel. Heavy sultanas, dates, raisins, figs, and the like. Caramel, plum, grapes, bubblegum, and brandy.

Finish: Long and sweet, transitioning very organically from the palate. The huge, fruity sherry notes keep coming. Plum, caramel, caramelized fruit, grapes, brandy, figs, dark chocolate, Cadbury’s Fruit & Nut, sultanas, and faint coffee. A bit of bubblegum? Yup.

Thoughts: It’s a solid GlenDronach for sure. Nothing off point. All I can say is that I prefer a lighter sherry touch when it comes to older bottlings. Age brings with it subtlety and nuance, and when an older whisky is too heavily sherried many of those delicate notes are overwhelmed. Of course it’s still a fantastic dram, but the deep, intense sherry notes don’t let the 19 year old spirit say much. I think using fewer sherry-forward or fist-fill casks might have benefitted this one. For me, this takes a certain mood. At the wrong time it’s rather heavy and sweet. At the right time it’s deep, lush, and satisfying. There’s a lot to like here. There’s a nice grapey presence, as well as a cool bubblegum note on the finish. It’s huge, balanced, rich, sweet, and fruity all day long. The cask-strength sherry boys will be in heaven. Delicious and powerful stuff, but hardly Dronach’s best bang-for-buck.

嗅覺:
*濃厚的雪莉味.
*葡萄乾,椰棗,紅酒單寧,黑巧克力,肉荳蔻,黑葡萄,黑蜜棗,焦糖,葡萄柚.
味覺:
*口感中等,帶有濃郁的水果香甜.
*葡萄,椰棗,焦糖,黑蜜棗,黑葡萄,白蘭地.
後味:
*後味延續著味覺的香氣.
*很強大的雪莉,黑蜜棗,焦糖,葡萄,白蘭地,椰棗,杏仁,葡萄乾,淡淡咖啡.

評語:
*這是一罐在1995釀製的格蘭多納CASK STRENGTH  19年份的威士忌,
其實是為德國市場的一個產品.
濃郁的雪莉威士忌,但我不太能感受出19年份帶來的特別,因為雪莉味太強,
強到蓋過那些小小的細節.
我喜歡濃香的葡萄乾味,外加一點的葡萄香味也讓我想起白蘭地.
有時候我的心情會偏向會雪莉味,而這款無疑的是個SHERRY MONSTER,如果一般般時候,
這款酒會讓我覺得沉重和過甜.
不過如果你喜歡細緻高雅又帶有爆發力的雪莉味,你應該試試看!

This might be the fanciest looking GlenDronach bottle I’ve seen! Here’s the Platinum, a 16 year old Oloroso matured ‘Dronach made first for South Africa, then apparently made available in Germany. Not only did they give this a fancy, shiny, embossed label, they were also nice enough to bump the abv up to 48%. Wasn’t that nice of them?

Nose: Rich and thick. Strong caramel, big raisin, dates, prunes, plums, apricots, dried mango, banana bread, baking spices, marzipan, and musty oak. Some lighter notes of barley, honey, butter, pastry, and grass come out after some time.

Palate: Reasonably thick mouthfeel. Arrives on heavy, rich stewed fruits. Roasted caramel, roasted nuts, dates, dark berries, Christmas cake, dark rum, black grapes, coffee, molasses, and earth.

Finish: Medium in length and warming, with a slightly charred character coming forward. More of those juicy dates, pistachios, caramel, cherry, charred wood, earth, moss, tobacco, black grapes, rooibos tea, and some barley.

Thoughts: Very intense sherry. From nose to finish we’ve got big dates and heavy stewed fruits. Although it’s not a cask strength release, I want to call this a sherry bomb. It certainly drinks like one. I suspect a good amount of first-fill casks were used. Dark sherry dominates every aspect of this whisky.

This is not one of Glendronach’s more accessible offerings. It doesn’t share the casual, clean complexity of the 15 year old. Instead, this is murkier, bolder, and more concentrated. After 16 years in Oloroso casks, the sherry has overwhelmed any delicacy or nuance from the base spirit. I find myself missing some of the lighter, cleaner notes you find in the core range. Personally speaking, I need to be in the right mood for this one. But if the mood fits, this is lovely. A heavy, dark, brooding addition to the GlenDronach portfolio. Quite collectible, too.

嗅覺:
*濃郁,厚重.
*濃濃的焦糖,多汁的椰棗,葡萄乾,黑蜜棗,杏桃,芒果乾,香蕉麵包,肉桂,巧克力,堅果,橡木,大麥,蜂蜜,
奶油,青草.
味覺:
*口感有點厚重,帶有濃郁燉水果的香氣,
*焦糖,烤過的堅果,椰棗,黑莓,黑的蘭姆酒,紅葡萄,咖啡,土壤,糖蜜,.
後味:
* 後味中等,讓人感到溫暖,燒焦的味道慢慢出來.
*多汁的椰棗,開心果,櫻桃,燒過的木炭,青苔,菸草,紅葡萄,南非國寶茶,大麥.

評語:
*其實這款格蘭多納PLATINUM16是南非和德國的特別版,
所以我不知道為什麼在台灣可以那麼容易找到.
這款的雪莉味非常濃郁,椰棗和燉水果的味道佔了很大的席位,與其它格蘭多納的酒相比,
這款的味道是非常的帶勁!
16年的OLOROSO桶,裡面原本酒體的味道已經被雪莉味佔領.
對我來說,只有在特別想喝帶勁威士忌心情的時候才會喝這個,
如果你在平常想喝格蘭多納雪莉味的話,
不妨試試 15年份的.
這是一款不錯的威士忌,有收藏的價值.

Haven’t had this in a while. The Revival is known to fall victim to sulfur taint sometimes, which is what happened to my last bottle. It’s a shame, actually. I really liked it when it was popped, but a rubber flavour set in after a month and seemed to get worse with time. The whisky that I loved at first became undrinkable; I believe I killed the bottle in mixed drinks. But obviously that’s not every bottle. Time to come back to it.

Nose: Layered, with very big sherry. Raisins, figs, oranges, cinnamon, chocolate, plums, roasted pecans, leather. Serious depth here.

Palate: Creamy texture and a medium body. There’s cream, raisins, figs, dates, chocolate, cinnamon, plum, apple vinegar, and red apple skin.

Finish: Quite long and richly layered. Cream, vanilla, sherry, raisins, leather, roasted nuts, charcoal, red apple skin, fruit tobacco.

Thoughts: Not hard to see why this is so popular. GlenDronach doesn’t do superficial sherry; they go for the deep, rich, layered stuff. The richness here works nicely with its medium body and creamy profile. That being said, I prefer the likes of the Cask Strength and the Octarine, but I can see why this one is basically the ‘flagship’ for the brand. A straight-forward quality sherry with good bang-for-buck, you can’t go wrong. Well… unless it’s sulfur tainted.

嗅覺:
*聞起來很多層次,雪莉味很重.
*葡萄乾,椰棗,柳橙,肉桂,巧克力,甜棗,烤過的堅果,皮革.
味覺:
*口感像是鮮奶油一樣的滑順,酒體適中.
*雪莉,鮮奶油,葡萄乾,椰棗,巧克力,肉桂,甜棗,蘋果醋,紅蘋果皮.
後味:
*後味久且味道濃郁.
*牛奶,香草,雪莉,葡萄乾,皮革,烤過的堅果,黑炭,紅蘋果皮,水果菸草.

 評語:
*很明顯的看的出來味什麼這一款那麼受歡迎,格蘭多納不做廉價的雪莉味,他們只做品質高的雪莉.
濃郁的味道和像牛奶般的口感很協調的搭配,以價格來說是很划算,非常非常雪莉味的威士忌,
好喝!

It’s a shame that this whisky has been pulled from production. Luckily there are still a few bottles here in Taipei left to be snatched up. With one open and another stored for a rainy day, I’m questioning whether that will be enough. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed an 8 yr old as much as I do this one. And for a similar price, I can’t think of any other single malt out there that offers up this much complexity and personality.

Nose: Very fruity and complex. Toffee, sultanas, pumpkin, chocolate, marzipan, cinnamon, glazed ham, roasted nuts, tobacco, orange rind, stewed apples, and a gentle floral note. Wow, there’s a lot going on here.

Palate: Medium bodied arrival, with a dark, roasted caramel greeting. We quickly move into rich sherried fruit. There’s some berry jam and Christmas cake flavours here as well as loads of sultanas, oranges, pumpkin, chocolate, butter, stewed fruits, and roasted nuts. Along the way some SERIOUS spices make an appearance. Huge baking/Christmas cake spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili, allspice, woodspice, etc.

Finish: Those absurdly rich spices carry on. Finally we get oak, roasted nuts, apple cider, vanilla, hay, honey, toffee, butter, charcoal, glazed ham, onion powder, garlic, cinnamon, anise, almonds, chamomile, ginger, and raspberry jam.

Thoughts: This is something of an enigma for me. Based on the tasting notes you’d think this would be a very heavy, intense dram. Not quite. While it’s as rich and complex as the darkest, most brooding sherry monster, it’s considerably more light and casual. The bourbon maturation hasn’t been completely eclipsed by the sherry influence, lending some lighter, brighter notes to the whisky. This is a completely different animal than the rest of the ‘dronach lineup. I’m sure there’s a good chunk of whisky in here that’s well over 8 years. But still, it’s young, fresh, and clean. Very special stuff. If you can find it, buy it.

嗅覺:
*水果味很濃厚也很平衡.
*太妃糖,葡萄乾,南瓜,巧克力,烤過的堅果,肉桂,火腿,煙草,橘子皮,蘋果,淡淡的花香.
味覺:
*口感適中,帶有很多香料和水果味.
*焦糖,雪利,莓果醬,葡萄乾,橘子,南瓜,巧克力,奶油,烤過的堅果,肉桂,荳蔻,辣椒,五香粉,橡木.
後味:
*在最中停留較久,味道很協和且濃郁.
*橡木,香料,烤過的堅果,蘋果酒,香草,乾草,蜂蜜,太妃糖,奶油,黑炭,火腿,大蒜,八角,杏仁,焦糖,薑,小紅莓果醬.

評語:
*除了GLENDRONACH  SINGLE CASK 威士忌,這是我最喜歡的一款GLENDRONACH.

因為整體來說味道很平衡,不像其它款的GLENDRONACH只有雪利的味道,但是這一款卻也可以嚐到波本的味道.這一款的酒有融合不同年分,所以我覺喝起來比瓶身上秀的8年份還要更好.我喜歡帶這一款跟朋友分享因為雖然年份很低但卻非常好喝,我個人強烈推薦除了好喝價錢也便宜.可惜是這一款已經停產,如果你在市面上有看到,就快點下手吧!(我自己已經囤貨了好多瓶...)

The Glendronach Cask Strength is part of a trend of age statements being exchanged for high abvs. We’re told that declining stocks and rising consumerism here in the east is taking a toll on the industry’s older stuff. Of course, while we do love our older stuff, the industry knows that we’re also suckers for anything at cask strength. It makes sense, I suppose it is the most practical way to appease us. Of course, this issue is not unique to Glendronach, so I’m note zeroing in on this bottle specifically. But we’ll be seeing more of this kind of thing in the future. Luckily, it doesn’t always spell disaster. Some pretty good Cask Strength NAS whiskies are hitting the shelves these days. This is one of them.

Nose: Rich and heavy. Huge sultanas, sherry, marzipan, apples, cherries, wet oak, a touch of menthol, and some baking spices.

Palate: Thick and mouth-coating. Milk chocolate, banana, cherry, table syrup, vanilla, cashews, and woodspice. Brilliant intensity.

Finish: A crescendo of baking spices carries us into a drying, musty oak note. Cherries, chocolate, sultanas, earth, leaves, and must. Very “natural” flavours to this, and great intensity.

Thoughts: I tried this immediately after opening it, and I didn’t love it. It tasted young. But when I checked back two weeks later it had opened up beautifully. The young notes had dissipated, and the flavours had reached a nice balance. This whisky has a thick, sweet, syrupy quality that combines with a musty oak note, which ironically reminds me of bourbon. Of course the rich, complex, sherry-forward house style of Glendronach is still at the core of the whisky. Unsurprisingly, ‘Dronach has crafted another solid offering for all you sherry lovers.

嗅覺:
*非常濃郁味道很強大.
*葡萄乾,雪利,堅果,蘋果,櫻桃,潮濕的橡木,薄荷,肉桂,荳蔻.
味覺:
*口感厚重,味道很讓人震撼.
*巧克力牛奶,香蕉,櫻桃,鬆餅糖漿,香草,腰果,橡木,香料.
後味:
*在嘴中為到停留很酒,味道有森林味.
*香料,發霉的橡木,櫻桃,巧克力,葡萄乾,土壤,葉子.

 評語:
*當我一打開來喝的時後味道是非常年輕的威士忌,但是一個禮拜過後味道變得比較活潑,青澀的威士忌味也消失,味道都很平衡,濃厚的糖漿味讓我聯想到波本,英文叫做SHERRY BOMB.