GLENDRONACH RELEASES 4 NEW WOOD FINISHES
More good news from GlenDronach! The Aberdeenshire distillery has announced the release of four new wood finishes "“ the first of their kind ever to be released by the distillery in its 180 year history.

This month we've launched the much awaited Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port Wood finishes. Each unique expression was initially matured in European oak and thereafter finished its maturation in a very small batch of the respective wine barrels (or in one case, virgin oak), which have given the whisky its own unique flavours and aromas.

All are non chill filtered and of natural colour and are bottled at 46%abv.

GlenDronach 14YO Sauternes Finish

Appearance - bright lemon straw
Nose - juicy and fresh. A blanket of creamed soda and wild strawberries backed up lush late harvest desert wine. Hints of sherbet and ripe cherries. Very fruity.
Palate - apples and rhubarb drenched in home made custard. Sweet desert wine influences emerge with ripe sultanas and a lovely creamy heart.
Conclusions - sweet fresh and fragrant with balanced acidity. Lots of finesse and elegance, whilst still maintaining the lively youthful elements.


GlenDronach 14YO Virgin Oak Finish

Appearance - light gold. Freshly harvest straw.
Nose - toasted oak elements which are so intense that smoky attributes emerge. Sweet and lush tropical fruits rise with prominence. Banana and cacao, with roasted coconut.
Palate - spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist. Creamed desicated coconut and fresh buttered toast with a handful of hazelnuts on the side.
Conclusion - a glorious nut feast with superb depth.


GlenDronach 15YO Moscatel Finish

Appearance - light gold.
Nose - golden syrup and nutmeg. Poached peaches and apricot flavours with fresh figs and dates. Subtle marzipan on the tail intensifies the aromatics.
Palate - sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple intertwined with sweet ripe raisins and alcohol infused figs. Subtle marzipan adds a smooth round nutty edge.
Conclusion - a warming mix of fruit, nuts. Lovely length and balance.



GlenDronach 20YO Tawny Port Finish

Appearance - bright amber with a subtle tawny edge.
Nose - lashings of fine fortified wine elements and a generous portion of Mediterranean fruits including figs and dates.
Palate - stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples. The stewed fruit is balanced with an injection of liquorice and subtle aniseed flavours. Massive power and definition.
Conclusion - a complex dram with a fantastic fortified backbone.

The releases of a series of non-sherry wood finishes is certainly quite a departure from the norm for GlenDronach, where the tradition is to mature the whisky in big, rich sherry casks such as Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez.

We're not looking to change the style of GlenDronach, our focus will continue to be on richly sherried malts, but we were interested to see how the whisky would react to different types of wood. It was important that the whiskies we selected for ‘finishing' were not typical GlenDronach (richly sherried), instead we opted for whisky that had been maturing in lighter casks "“ this meant we could experience in full the impact of the 2nd cask, be it Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel or Tawny Port.

Each of these ‘finishes' has been bottled in relatively small quantities, ranging from 340 cases of the Tawny Port Finish to 860 cases of the Virgin Oak Finish.

The wood finishes will available in over 20 export markets, and in the UK through independent, specialist whisky retailers, as well as at the distillery shop.

UK RRPs are as follows (70cl / 46%):

14YO Sauternes Finish - £41.99
14YO Virgin Oak Finish - £41.99
15YO Moscatel Finish - £44.99
20YO Tawny Port Finish - £64.99

Og lidt mere omkring de 7 nye aftapninger:

SEVEN SINGLE CASK BOTTLINGS FROM GLENDRONACH THIS MONTH
Glendronach, the richly sherried Highland malt, has released Batch 2 of its single cask bottlings, which includes 7 rare and very limited expressions.

In chronological order, they are:

1971, cask 489, 39YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 48.8% vol
Liquorice and cloves partnering flawlessly with classic oloroso notes and lashings of chocolate orange nuances. Depth is built upon a layer of walnuts and almonds.
UK RRP £379.99

1972, cask 718, 38YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 51.5% vol,
Fruity and long. A tremendous concoction of sweet stewed fruits, nuts and chocolate. Fine old oloroso notes with terrific balance and acidity create excellent depth and definition.
UK RRP £359.99

1978, cask 1040, 31YO,
Oloroso Sherry Puncheon, 51.2% vol
Dense and long. Very elegant and smooth with classic sherry influences. Walnut flavours emerge which align perfectly with ripe citrus fruits.
UK RRP £184.99

1989, cask 3315, 20YO
Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon, 53.2% vol
Offers baked apples with sweet brown sugar syrup. Nutty, with almonds and hazelnuts bringing weight to the mix.
UK RRP £79.99

1990, cask 2621, 20YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 57.9% vol
Chocolate orange and coffee mocha mouse. Delightful balance and complexity with excellent length.
UK RRP £79.99

1991, cask 3182, 18YO
Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon, 51.7% vol
Bursting with stewed fruits- particularly sweet prunes. Date and dried fig characteristics add lovely depth and concentration.
UK RRP £70.99

1993, cask 529, 17YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 60.5% vol
Spicy and long. Superb mocha and hazelnut influences emerge, leading to a sweet rich finish.
UK RRP £66.99

Each year we specially select a handful of individual casks from the warehouses at GlenDronach to be bottled as our ‘Limited Releases'. We believe that the 2010 releases are an excellent example of the quality, richly sherried style that the GlenDronach distillery is famous for.

Batch 2 is being shipped to over 20 export markets, and will also be available in the UK through independent, specialist whisky retailers.