Still under the influence of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks, here is the latest version of the Glendronach Cask Strength (you can read about the batch 4 here). A no-age, no-flaws whisky?
Nose : The nose is powerful yet the scents have trouble taking place. There is sort of a bitter grass juice which comes with chocolate, Smacks notes alongside a portion reserved to rum-flambée banana. There are also white flowers which gives it an ethereal character. Finally, we find dried apricots, figs, a bit of mandarin and spices (clove, cinnamon, cardamom). Sure, we have some variety around the sherry tones, but it clearly ain’t that thrilling. The fragrances are vague and hardly mingle. Thankfully, the opening brings some freshness out (ginger) which helps a bit this disjointed (yet quite complex) nose. With water, caramel and dried fruits (dates, figs) take the upper hand. We also begin to sense some wood and cinnamon. It’s not really gratifying.
Mouth : It gives the same feeling as at nose. Power, but no real aromatic strength. We find some milk chocolate, oranges, figs, herbs and flowers with a predilection for cut grass and carnation. The second part of the mouth finds a nice vegetal freshness (ginger) but the flavors aren’t really astute. It’s more bitter than we’d expect and a bit disappointing for now. Water strangely planes it with flavors that still aren’t about a frank attack. We gain a bit of almonds but also wood and ginger. It’s more balance but a bit boring.
Finish : We oscillate between spicy warmness (clove, pepper) and green evocation (ginger) while the wood arrives with a flourish. The whole is placed with an orange/chocolate duo. The aftertaste is limited to dates and the spices and wood mix.
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