Hi group,
The Glendronach 15 Year Old has been discontinued, replaced by a new 12 Year Old Original bottling (not to be confused with the previous 12 Year Old Original, 12 Year Old Traditional or 12 Year Old Matured in Sherry Casks.) I know a lot of people like the fact that the 15yo was all first fill sherrywood, so I thought I'd give a heads up and warn that those of you who are sherry mad should stock up on the 15yo while there are still bottles left.
I like Glendronach best when it is from 100% bourbon casks myself and preferred the first Original bottling which was a mix of bourbon and sherry casks. I also liked the Traditional which had some nice earthy, peaty notes.
The new Glendronach 12 Year Old Original is replacing the current Glendronach 15 Year Old due to a shortage of stock. Part of the 15 Year Old’s appeal was that it was “100% Matured in Sherry Casks”; while the new Original is matured in a mix of first fill and second fill sherry casks, it is finished for a period of months in fresh fill bourbon casks. This has made for a much more ‘malty’ whisky than its predecessors, and I find that the ’double maturation’ has blunted the sherry sweetness of the 15 Year Old while accentuating Glendronach’s malty and spicy notes. The end result is a whisky that might disappoint those of you who were ‘sherry mad’ about the 15 Year Old, but it will likely appeal to those of you who found the 15yo oversherried.
This is bottled at 40% abv but Allied is planning a cask strength release as well and there is also a limited edition bottling of Glendronach 33 Year Old planned for sometime this fall.
Slainte, Johanna