Glendronach makes hand-filled great again!
Is Glendronach still the uncontested sherry monarch of Scotland? This highland distillery that is actually pretty close to the borders of what one would define as Speyside, quietly took over the reign from The Macallan in the early years of this century. The once nicknamed Rolls Royce of whisky had trouble keeping up with high quality and ventured in a different direction, while Glendronach landed in the hands of whisky creative Billy Walker. He firmly established Glendronach where it probably always belonged: at the top of sherried whisky Champions League. These years came and went, and while undoubtedly releasing good releases these days, the magic has turned a bit more mundane now. Tamdhu seems to have a handle on things now, when it comes to sherried delight, and Glendronach revamped “upwards”, most times meaning a fancier dress while quality stays the same. I wonder how hardcore fans like this.
I visited the distillery twice. The first time was in 2011 when heaven was a place on earth and it was named Glendronach. We sipped from 1972 vintage casks in the warehouses and filled our distillery exclusive bottlings with the now equally legendary 1993 vintage. Dearest memory of course is the visit to the distillery in 2013. Glendronach hosted the whisky club I was part of in those days, and provided a range of samples to choose from for our club bottling of that year. We picked a Virgin Oak matured single cask from the vintage 2002, surprisingly. We all thought we would go home with a sherry single cask, but blind tasting is honest, if not brutal.
For this single cask club bottling, I had the distinct honour of writing the back label. As I set to work, I gave it my best, but in 2025 we live in an era of equality, and we have seen whisky writers say unflattering things when trying to describe whisky, comparing our drink to women in this state or another. That is not the way to make everyone – men, women, all in between, in- and outside the box – feel welcome and included in the world of whisky. I compared the aroma on the 2002 Glendronach to being “as fresh as a woman just out of the shower”, making the mistake of this whisky being viewed from exclusively the viewpoint of a man. However well intended, it was wrong, and for that I sincerely apologize.
After that, let me put the spotlight on the samples, “Hand-Filled at the distillery” and brough back by my whisky friend Sjoerd. He also provided these distillery exclusives from Speyburn. There were pros and cons as to which sample to taste first. In the end, I decided to just start with the lowest abv of the two, which also turned out to be the youngest.
Glendronach 9 years old, 2014 – 2024, bottled at 56,6 % abv
First things first: This Glendronach was fully matured in a first fill Pedro Ximenez Puncheon. Cask number is 256 and the exact distilling date is 20 November 2014.
Upon Sipping: Oh yes, this is a dark one! Lots of smells coming from the glass, with furniture polish, dark berries, deep red almost purple cherries and cinnamon. Very complex already, the cask imprint being strong on this Glendronach. Taking a sip, it is pure heaven, very (very!) sweet syrup on the tongue, but strong on bitter chocolate and overall wood on the finish. Some delicate wood spices linger long after swallowing. Lots of ginger too, made into bread with pieces of sugar lodged in. A very rounded experience, until you reach the finish and then get a sobering bite from the wood. This Glendronach is on the verge of collapsing into liquid wood era, and got bottled just in time. With water, surprisingly, a hint of vanilla before it turns back to cassis. More Pepsi Max than Cola Zero, that’s for sure, because of the sweet impact. But Glendronach spirit is a match for any wood type, and the PX in the end also forms a unbreakable partnership. Very rewarding warmth remains on the finish, with the spices kept in check by the water.
Word to the Wise: A stunning single cask for those happy few that travel to the Glendronach Distillery. I believe this hand-filled will set you back around 100 pounds, but that is a steal for the quality you’re getting. The definition of what a hand-filled should be, giving just that little extra.
Score: 88 points.
Glendronach 12 years old, 2011 – 2024, bottled at 58,8 % abv
First things first: This Glendronach was fully matured in an Oloroso Puncheon. Cask number is 885 and the exact distilling date is 29 June 2011. On the verge of turning 13 years old.
Upon Sipping: Just a tad less dark compared to the PX-expression. It has a lot in common with the PX, but it misses that overly sweetened scent, replaced by dunnage warehouse, wet wood and valinch copper. Here too, I find a good dose of cinnamon but the nosing is somewhat hindered by the high abv. We will return to that in a moment. More malt on the tongue as we take a sip, with nice wood that continues all the way down the drain. An incredible puff of smoke explodes on the palate while the liquid is swallowed. Very dry, with hints of nutty flavours all over the place. A tad more serious in nature, nowhere near as frivolous as the PX-expression. The cask has a weird vibe, to say the least, making it quite an a-typical bottling. With water, some dried apricot is added to the mix, but a certain dustiness remains. Like playing around with spices on your kitchen counter and you went to the table to have dinner and the spice dust gets to settle until it gets cleaned with a wet cloth. The taste improves with water, getting more apricot infusion together with wood and chocolate, before settling on hazelnut dipped in praline.
Word to the Wise: Much more a rollercoaster than the straightforward PX-expression, but loads of fun to play around with. Normally, I do not like adding too much water to sherried whisky, but the Glendronachs can both swim.
Obviously, I do not know if these casks are still at the distillery, or by now replaced by another one, but in any case it is safe to say there are surprises waiting at Glendronach when you visit – and you should! Happy (summer) holiday!
Score: 88 points.