The Long Pour: A most legendary
Glendronach 1970 by Signatory
Yes! Today, we are exactly 10 days away from Christmas Eve, the moment when the world slows down, pours a good whisky in the glass, and drinks on better times. An idyllic setting, I know, since the world knows more war than ever. I wish this scene could be true for each and every one of us. Let us hope this is not just utopia, but that next generations will figure out how to live together in peace and prosperity, and that our biggest problem then is choosing which whisky to taste next!
When one thinks of Christmas, one thinks of sherried whisky. There are a few usual suspects that will land in my glass the next few weeks. Aberlour, Glenfarclas (blog coming, promise!), Tamdhu (same) or maybe some Islay giants (be sure to check in on Christmas Eve). Today, we might well have one of the best sherried whisky ever in the glass. It was bottled by Signatory Vintage in a nice dumpy bottle. The year it was put into glass seems not so long ago, but let me give you a harsh awakening: it happened in 1990 and that is almost 35 yeas ago. Ouch! This Glendronach was distilled in 1970, in a day and age that fantastic sherry casks were almost literally falling from the sky like rain on a regular day in Scotland. It was a different age, when drinking sherry was still done in big numbers by your grandparents. Seasoning of casks was unheard of, the use of paxarette always denied, but probably daily practise. What it creates… well, read my notes!
Glendronach 20 years old, vintage 1970, bottled at 56 % abv by Signatory Vintage
First things first: This expression consists of 3800 bottles that were taken from five casks with the numbers 513 till 518. Glendronach distilled this on 18 February 1970 and bottled it in July 1990. An interesting note: Glendronach did not switch to indirect heating of the stills until 2005. Before that, stills were coal fired, often attributing a burned caramel character to whisky.
Upon Sipping: Upper echelon whisky, so much is clear from just one sniff from the glass. This is an unheard of degree of red sherried fruit, rum soaked raisins, strawberry marmalade, juicy cranberry and dripping honey. Suddenly I am craving a cinnamon roll from a family owned bakery, with a Christmas brew coffee on the side. After a while, some leather manages to fight for visibility. You will be hard pressed to find such an extravert whisky. This is up there with the best Macallan Grand Reserva, luscious Glenfarclas, old Aberlour A’Bunadh and late sixties/early seventies Longmorn. I am already ecstatic and I have not even taken a sip yet.
The taste is actually quite contrasting, because it is firmly rooted in a more dry and leathery spectrum. With 20 years of maturation this Glendronach was probably reaching its limit before going over the proverbial top into wood excess land. It is interesting that when you return to the glass now, the leather notes are more pronounced. Shoe and furniture polish enter the fold too. I am reluctant to add water to sherried whisky, but the high alcohol volume might cloak aspects we are yet to discover. I am not at all disappointed: the fruity and leathery notes merge seamlessly into a sum bigger than their parts. So yeah, just the tiniest drop of water and drinking this single malt turns into an orgasmic experience. On the palate, the liquid turns more supple and juicy, with finally exiting on delicious praline notes on the finish.
Word to the Wise: Close to perfection, and mandatory material for studying the beauty of sherried whisky. I am a fervent supporter of the conviction that whisky in batches of 3000 to 6000 bottles are most times superior to single casks. It edges out possible shortcomings, while finding power in the numbers of casks in the mix. This Glendronach proves that point.
Score: 93 points
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