Glendronach 12 Year Old Original

When I reviewed The Glendronach 12 last year I mentioned that the bottle appeared to be tainted. There was a weird, burnt plastic taste that was quite repulsive. After a week opened, thanks to oxidation, the whisky settled substantially. However, the burnt plastic flavor still remained in the background. But, I knew that it deserved a second chance. And now here it is...a new bottle...Let's get down to it, shall we!

Nose: Big sherry, dark chocolate, over ripen grapes, clove, oak, caramel, dry raspberry tea, hybiscus.

Palate: At arrival, the big sherry dominates with traces of sweet raspberries and oak. Dark chocolate assaults the palate, not just dark, 90% cacao dark. At mid-palate, cloves and cinnamon tingle the tongue. The dark chocolate transforms to milk chocolate with caramel on burnt toast with a pinch of raspberries.

Finish: Medium to long. Slight effervescent. The sweetness resides and becomes semi-dry. A kick of that 90% dark chocolate returns strong and blankets the back of the tongue with certain presicion.

This is a robust 12 year old expression. The sherry influence of both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso casks creates a three-punch combination of the dark and the milk chocolate followed by the dark chocolate once again. All intertwined in red berries. In the $45-$60 range it's hard to find another single malt with such intense sherry influence. For those budget-conscience, sherry anoraks, seeking a maximum yield sherry bomb, this is it!

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