Description

GlenDronach Aged 18 Years Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Volume: 700ml           ABV: 46%           Age: 18 Years Old           Country: Scotland

The GlenDronach 18 Year Old, is a deeply rich and complex single malt that perfectly embodies the distillery’s sherry-centric house style. After almost two decades of maturation, it offers a profound depth of flavour from its exclusive sherry cask influence. Aged 18 Years, this means every drop of whisky in the bottle has been matured for at least 18 years. It is exclusively matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks. Oloroso sherry is a dry, dark, and nutty sherry that imparts incredible richness, complexity, and a deep fruit and spice character to the whisky. GlenDronach is renowned for its commitment to this specific cask type. Bottled at a robust 46% alc/vol, allowing its rich flavours to fully express themselves. It is non-chill filtered and has natural colour, ensuring maximum flavour retention and a pristine presentation that reflects the sherry cask’s influence.

The GlenDronach Aged 18 Years has consistently received critical acclaim and numerous awards for its exceptional quality and classic sherry profile.

Our Tasting Notes

The GlenDronach 18 Year Old is celebrated for its deep, dark fruit, nutty, and spicy character, with a luxurious texture that comes from extensive sherry maturation.

Nose: Rich and inviting, with prominent notes of sweet, stewed dark fruits like prunes, raisins, and dried apricots, alongside dark chocolate, candied orange peel, and warm spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg). It has a lovely nutty quality (walnuts, hazelnuts) and a hint of polished antique wood.

Palate: Full-bodied, luscious, and incredibly viscous, coating the mouth. Flavours explode with rich fruitcake, sticky toffee pudding, and dark brown sugar. Layers of sweet sherry, cocoa, espresso, and warming oak spice intertwine beautifully. Notes of treacle, marzipan, and a subtle earthiness add to its profound complexity.

Finish: Exceptionally long, warming, and satisfying. The dark fruit, chocolate, and rich sherry notes linger, accompanied by a pleasant oak dryness and a hint of baking spices. It leaves a truly memorable and indulgent aftertaste.

Situated in the Forgue valley, near Huntly, Aberdeenshire, in the Highland region of Scotland. This location is nestled among rolling hills, far from the main tourist routes. The GlenDronach Distillery was founded in 1826 by James Allardice (after whom the 18 Year Old is named). It has a long and somewhat turbulent history, experiencing periods of closure and ownership changes. Notably, for much of the 20th century, it was owned by William Teacher & Sons (famous for Teacher’s Highland Cream blended Scotch), with much of its spirit destined for blends. A major turning point came in 2008 when it was acquired by an independent consortium led by Billy Walker, who championed its single malt bottlings and its commitment to sherry maturation. It was subsequently acquired by Brown-Forman (makers of Jack Daniel’s) in 2016.