GlenDronach Single Cask 11 Year Old 2002 Cask #708

So, I'm an idiot. What I thought was two GlenDronachs (one bottle, one sample) is actually the same damn thing, and I never noticed. It is from a single Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon (#708), put in wood on July 19 2002 and matured for 11 years until bottling in August 2013, yielding 602 bottles. This was bottled for the Calgary and Victoria chapters of The Companions of the Quaich.

The colour is a dark amber, pretty much identical to the 12 year old. On the nose, the profile is very similar with dark fruits and a pronounced sherry character, but lacking spice - it's a little flabby. A drop of water adds some wood smoke and spice but otherwise this is a bit of a letdown.

On the palate there is some heat from the high ABV - and a lot of grape - but otherwise it's a little one-dimensional. Not that the 12 year old was that complex, but this one is not yielding a lot of excitement. Water improves things; it's pleasant enough and, if you're a sherry nut, you'll like it - but it needs more zip.

The finish is rich with more oak and dark fruits but still seems thin, and again there is a touch of sulphur. It doesn't feel like this is 55.4% ABV. It's by no means terrible - it just lacks complexity and the notes from the cask are truly one-dimensional.

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