GlenDronach Cask Strength – Batch 5 – 55.3% abv

Info: NAS, cask strength, non chill filtered and natural colour. Matured in a combination of PX and Oloroso sherry casks.
Colour: Vibrant autumnal gold.
Nose: Rich, punchy deep sherry nose. There’s winter fruits in abundance, blackcurrants, redcurrants, loganberries, cranberries, fat juicy currants, sultanas and raisins. All underlined with a buttery creamy malt and hints of oak wood.
Palate: Instantly a great crushed nut and gentle oak note which leads into the sweet deep malty fruits. It’s a bowl of stewed winter fruits with thick Birds vanilla custard on it. Thick and enjoyably oily.
Finish: The fruits and gentle spices linger on your palate for ages after you swallow while the rest descends onto your chest to give you a rich wintery sweet warming hug. There’s some gentle tannins and some cask smoke at the end which make  the finish continue on for longer.
Water: It works fine without water but the alcohol strength is fairly high, so if you find it a bit too strong for you then there’s no problem in popping a drop of water in, it makes the bottle go even further giving you greater value for money! With water it gives you more nut notes on the nose, tones down the sherry fruits a notch, but keeps the creaminess. It’s easier on the palate, smoother and more creamy, and maybe a touch sweeter too. I prefer it this way.
Thoughts: Every bit as good as previous batches, if not slightly better. If you’re a fan of Aberlour A’bunadh then you should consider giving this a try as an alternative… it’s somewhat more punchy, and just as truly enjoyable, both great malts to sit and enjoy.
Available: The previous batch (4) still generally seems to be on sale, so look out for this hitting the shops sometime soon.

Thanks to GlenDronach for the sample.