Foreign Whisky of the Month - 04/2014: Glendronach

[holdtheice]

Stopped into a cruddy strip mall store and saw a couple Glendronach 15's but they weren't the "revival" versions. Was there an older bottling of the 15 prior to Revival and is this something worth picking up? It was $69.99.

There was an older bottling. Had a quick look on Whiskybase and it seems to be pretty highly regarded. I'd say it would be worth picking up, and it would be interesting to compare to the current "revival" bottling.

Edited April 13, 2014 by holdtheice

[MtnDew]

Had some GD 12 from a flask while at Otter Falls on my hike today. It tasted mighty fine and complimented the cloudless, warm day with a view of a 1200' falls. Well, technically you can only see the last 500' or so from the bottom but who's counting

[Dolph Lundgren]

Stopped into a cruddy strip mall store and saw a couple Glendronach 15's but they weren't the "revival" versions. Was there an older bottling of the 15 prior to Revival and is this something worth picking up? It was $69.99.

The older, pre-revival (pre-Billy Walker) 15 is good, but the revival is better. It's bottled at 40% and real plum-y, but still a little light. It'll make a real good summer scotch if summer ever comes...

The pre-revival 15 is also 100% sherry and enticingly dark, but given the proof I suspect some coloring.

Either way, not a bad grab.

[Whisk]

I just picked up the Sauternes 14 year a little while back and I'm interested to see how it tastes. I really liked the non-sherried Aberlour that I have at CS from K&L. Sometimes a good malty pour is just what the doc ordered. I'm interested to try the non-sherried Mortlach from K&L too. It reminds me of the building blocks that the sherry bombs are built from.

[ChainWhip]

I like this logic and share the same sentiment.

Recently tracked down a 1990 23 year old Glendronach matured in bourbon casks (Cadenhead bottling). Considering picking it up to see how the spirit fares in something other than sherry.

Welcome Whisk! I need to get on the ball and drink some Glendronach this month soon... I kind of want to punt back and get a classic 12 and go from there.

[AaronWF]

Ok, I finally opened my Revival yesterday. Better late than never!

It's only the second Glendronach I've had, but it hit me much the same as the '96 17yo 1B PX: where's the malt? I actually really like the nose on this 15 Revival, great baked orange caramel quality, rich but not without a delicacy. The palate, however, lays it on a bit thick. It's just all barrel to me, quality barrel to be sure, but I'm still missing a sense of the underlying malt. I ran straight to Redbreast to get a malt fix afterwards.

I'd be much more interested in this stuff if I could get a sense of the distillate beyond just being a medium for the reuse of a good barrel.

[MtnDew]

Ok, I finally opened my Revival yesterday. Better late than never!

It's only the second Glendronach I've had, but it hit me much the same as the '96 17yo 1B PX: where's the malt? I actually really like the nose on this 15 Revival, great baked orange caramel quality, rich but not without a delicacy. The palate, however, lays it on a bit thick. It's just all barrel to me, quality barrel to be sure, but I'm still missing a sense of the underlying malt. I ran straight to Redbreast to get a malt fix afterwards.

I'd be much more interested in this stuff if I could get a sense of the distillate beyond just being a medium for the reuse of a good barrel.

Stupid question, but what is the flavor of "malt"? I apparently need to take a nosing and tasting class because I don't really have a good appreciation for what malt tastes like vs not. Obviously I know that RB and GD taste very different, but I'm not sure what portion of that is the malt your referring to.

thanks!

[HighInTheMtns]

Stupid question, but what is the flavor of "malt"? I apparently need to take a nosing and tasting class because I don't really have a good appreciation for what malt tastes like vs not. Obviously I know that RB and GD taste very different, but I'm not sure what portion of that is the malt your referring to.

thanks!

I can tell you how to resolve this issue.

Go to a brewery, hang out for a while. The smell that isn't hops... That's malt. Or even better, brew some beer :-)

[tanstaafl2]

I can tell you how to resolve this issue.

Go to a brewery, hang out for a while. The smell that isn't hops... That's malt. Or even better, brew some beer :-)

Good advice! Although note that the taste of malt does changes with age as well. But it should be distinctive.

[AaronWF]

Stupid question, but what is the flavor of "malt"? I apparently need to take a nosing and tasting class because I don't really have a good appreciation for what malt tastes like vs not. Obviously I know that RB and GD taste very different, but I'm not sure what portion of that is the malt your referring to.

thanks!

Oh man, I just wrote through a few paragraphs of self-discovery about my use of the term malt and how I think I may have my head up my ass over it, but I lost it. So, main points,

1) my point of reference with the flavor of malt is a malted milk ball without the chocolate

2) I definitely have a sense of malt from drinking beer, as Jim mentioned

3) The way I used malt above was really referring to a discernible distillery character rather than a general malt flavor. All single malt comes from malted barley, and when I can find a through-line from the cereal to the whisky, I feel like I am becoming familiar with the distillery. I don't have a feel for the Glendronach distillery, just that they use ultra-available wood.

Malt is the fatty cereal meat in a whisky. The flavors are wholly varied, which makes single malt scotch the most interesting spirit on the planet. I don't want to be caught whistling for my own entertainment, so I hope there's helpful stuff in my response here...

[Brisko]

Stupid question, but what is the flavor of "malt"? I apparently need to take a nosing and tasting class because I don't really have a good appreciation for what malt tastes like vs not. Obviously I know that RB and GD taste very different, but I'm not sure what portion of that is the malt your referring to.

thanks!

To add to what everyone else has said, get some sprouted barley (or sprout your own) and munch on a handful. I think you'll immediately recognize the flavor relationship between it and beer, and malt whisky. Also, expressions like anCnoc 16 (and to a lesser extent, the 12) are pretty naked (as in, little wood influence) and you should be able to notice that malty, grassy, barley-sugar flavor there too.

[ChainWhip]

Thx Aaron & Brisko for the write ups - there's something to be said for being able to experience the essence of a distillery's malt character in a simple, non-heavily-finished expression. Also, being able to taste the new make is often instructive.

I've found that I my palate is drifting towards these less "adulterated" (probably not the right connotation) bottlings as many of the heavily sherried expressions start becoming "same"-ish after a while.

That said, I still love a good sock-it-to-the-palate sherry or peat bomb so I think having variety is important for me.

Slightly off topic but is there a malted milk ball out there without a chocolate covering?

[MtnDew]

Thanks for all the replies! I've been enjoying whisk(e)y for many years now but have not really spent the time diving into individual flavor profiles. Normally I depend on my wife to name what we are tasting as her own gastro-vocabulary is so much more deep and accurate when compared to mine. However, lately I've been trying to spend more and more time with each dram picking out individual flavors to help pick out the specific characteristics I like... and those that I don't.

Part of my issue is that I don't drink beer, I'm very sensitive to bitter and have never been able to enjoy the stuff. By now I've sampled 200+ beers with many from craft brewers in the WA/OR area and quite a few from around the world, and none have tasted good to me. Though getting some sprouted barely should be doable and fun to try.

What other malt-forward whiskys would you guys recommend? From the few listed I do have a RB 12 CS open and an unopened Ancnoc 12, any others that really showcase the malt and not the barrel?

Thanks!

[tanstaafl2]

Thanks for all the replies! I've been enjoying whisk(e)y for many years now but have not really spent the time diving into individual flavor profiles. Normally I depend on my wife to name what we are tasting as her own gastro-vocabulary is so much more deep and accurate when compared to mine. However, lately I've been trying to spend more and more time with each dram picking out individual flavors to help pick out the specific characteristics I like... and those that I don't.

Part of my issue is that I don't drink beer, I'm very sensitive to bitter and have never been able to enjoy the stuff. By now I've sampled 200+ beers with many from craft brewers in the WA/OR area and quite a few from around the world, and none have tasted good to me. Though getting some sprouted barely should be doable and fun to try.

What other malt-forward whiskys would you guys recommend? From the few listed I do have a RB 12 CS open and an unopened Ancnoc 12, any others that really showcase the malt and not the barrel?

Thanks!

[Brisko]

The entry level Glenfiddichs and Glenlivets are pretty malty without a lot of other influence, as is Tomatin 12. All very affordable. For a little more money, Glenkinchie or the new Deanston.

[sob0728]

Stupid question, but what is the flavor of "malt"? I apparently need to take a nosing and tasting class because I don't really have a good appreciation for what malt tastes like vs not. Obviously I know that RB and GD taste very different, but I'm not sure what portion of that is the malt your referring to.

thanks!

Go buy a bottle of Knappogue Castle 12. It's all malt.

[ChainWhip]

Balvenie Single Barrel 15 would work nicely too

[Max Power]

Balvenie Single Barrel 15 would work nicely too

This is one that I will always have a bottle of it around. Such a delicious and reliable pour....for a decent price since I can get it for $60+tax locally.

[garbanzobean]

This is one that I will always have a bottle of it around. Such a delicious and reliable pour....for a decent price since I can get it for $60+tax locally.

You're a lucky man. The recent rumor that it has been discontinued by Balvenie has spurred a rather egregious price increase in Maryland . . . Last time I saw it on the shelves it was $110, which has put it within $60 of The Balvenie 21 Portwood finish. I've got a bottle from a particularly good barrel tucked away, though.

To respond to some of the other conversation going on in this thread, I do have a few thoughts on malt and sherried whiskies:

Depending on the age and character of the malt, it can taste sort of like a petting zoo smells (more specifically, wafers they give you to feed the animals) except pleasant. It can also leave a cereal-ish, honey sort of impression. It can taste sort of like the inside stuff in malted milk balls, or the odd aftertaste that people seem to either love or hate in malted shakes. In the case of the Port Ellen maltings, specifically for Lagavulin and Caol Ila, it tastes just like a chocolate covered malt ball. I have the most difficulty picking out malt character in heavily sherried whiskies such as Glendronach or Macallan, and in some of the coastal highland offerings like Oban (hard for me to cut through the citrus and saline, though I do very much enjoy them). What malt character I can pick out seems to be in the finish. Ultimately, I don't really reach for sherried whiskies for their malt character as much as I would less sherried highland malts, and I generally find non-cask strength sherried whiskies to be a bit one-dimensional. That said, if I am reaching for a non-CS sherry bomb, chances are it'll be Mortlach or Glendronach. And I usually let them sit in the glass for a good while prior to tasting to give them a chance to open up and let some of the initial sour sherry bite in the arrival dissipate.

To circle back to the malt question, if you ever get a chance to tour a smaller craft brewery, see if they'll let you taste some of their malted barley, preferably a couple different types. Even better would be if they'd let you taste the spent stuff that they filter out of the wort. It's an educational experience, that's for sure.

Taste certainly is subjective, and one man's chocolate malted milk balls are another man's gravel and peat bog overload, so I figure my thoughts on the subject are worth just about what you guys are paying for them.

Edited May 10, 2014 by garbanzobean