The oloroso sherry cask number 529 yielded no less than 627 bottles of this syrupy colored liquid, at a strength of 60,5% ABV. This GlenDronach matured for 17 years, so I'll bet it's very similar to the standard 15 Year Old Revival of the same Speyside distillery.
The nose is special, to say the least. And while I expected more sherry tones (they are there, but somewhat in the background), the first whiff is rather meaty. Less gym shoes than the Revival, but again a hint of sulpher is present. Rather vegetal too, with parsley and mushrooms. Despite the high ABV, I don't get any burning sensation on the nose. Very soft. Adding water makes it sweeter and dissolves the sulpher. An improvement.
The ABV does make itself be heard on the palate, though. Very peppery attack. Chili and cinnamon. But now I also get some dark, fried fruit (raisin, figs, prunes, dades) and nuts. Contrary to the Revival, the sulpher lining does rear its ugly head here. Slightly sourish, as well. Red berries? Thanks to the addition of water it is very palatable (doh!) and enhances the red fruit experience. Again an improvement.
The finish puts your salivary glands in overdrive. Lang, very spicy and 'red'. Diluting, however, shortens the finish considerably.
It's a tough choice with this GlenDronach signle cask. While the nose and palate improve with water, the finish falls apart.
A quarter cask is a small cask of about 50 liters, like the casks they used for transportation on muleback a hundred years ago. There are several other casks as well: Blood Tub (40 liters), Quarter Cask (50 liters), American Standard Barrel (200 liters), Hogshead (225 liters), Barrique (300 liters), Puncheon (500 liters), Butt (500 liters), Port Pipe (650 liters), Madeira Drum (650 liters) and Gorda (700 liters). Class dismissed :)
627 bottles from a single cask?! Wow. I (maybe mistakenly) thought casks around 15 - 20 yrs old usually yielded 300-350 bottles. Does Glend(D)ronach use larger than usual casks, or am I way off in my thinking?
Another great comparative review by "The Toshan Man"! (cue theme music) :)