ModernThirst
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    ModernThirst
    • HOME
    • News & Views
      1. Podcasts
      2. Videos
      3. Events
      4. Links
      Featured

      Four Gate Whiskey Announces Release 15.1, 15.2, & 15.3: The Bluegrass Trilogy

      By BillNovember 30, 20210
      Recent

      Four Gate Whiskey Announces Release 15.1, 15.2, & 15.3: The Bluegrass Trilogy

      November 30, 2021

      Old Forester 21st Release of Annual Birthday Bourbon

      August 24, 2021

      Press Release: Old Forester’s Next Release in the 117 Series Features a Blend of Barrels Aged Solely in Warehouse K 

      August 20, 2021
    • Bourbon & Whiskey
      • Bourbon and Whiskey Reviews
      • Bourbon and Whiskey Mash Bills
      • Bourbon Information & Resources
      • All Whiskey Content
        • Bourbon
        • Rye Whiskey
        • Scotch
        • Irish Whisky
      • Distillery Visits/Kentucky Bourbon Trail
    • Food, Beer, & Lifestyle
      • Pepperheads: Hot Sauce
      • Lifestyle & Features
      • Cocktail Corner
      • Food
      • Barware
      • Other Distilled Spirits
      • All Beer Content
      • Recipes
    • Hot Sauce
    • Shop
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Patrons and Supporters
      • Sample Policy
      • Get in touch with ModernThirst
      • Advertise with ModernThirst
    ModernThirst
    Bourbon/Whiskey Reviews

    GlenDronach Allardice 18 Year Old

    WesBy WesJune 12, 2019Updated:June 14, 2019No Comments4 Mins Read
    [amazon_link asins=’B00P553P1Q,B01N5HU3CP’ template=’MT-product-carousel’ store=’modernthirstc-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9df2d056-73a2-4428-a7db-271f5827fafc’]

    INTRODUCTION

    After a quick venture into the world of bourbon with the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B519 review for Jeremy and I last month we are back today with our first GlenDronach review for ModernThirst.  We have tasted this 18-Year Old bottling on three different occasions now, and just this past weekend the Proper Pour Whisk(e)y Club had a five-year club anniversary and 50th tasting celebration – which included the Allardice as part of an amazing line-up.

    I like what GlenDronach is doing with their whiskies – currently nine bottles from their range sit on my shelves and the GlenDronach 12 Year Old fills my scotch decanter as the go-to on a regular basis.  Our club has now tasted and rated four whiskies from the GlenDronach line with all scoring an 87 or higher.  First, a little background on the GlenDronach Distillery, and this bottling, before we see how this dram stacks up.

     BACKGROUND ON GLENDRONACH DISTILLERY and ALLARDICE

    The GlenDronach Distillery was founded in 1826 by James Allardes (Allardice) in the Forgue valley in Aberdeenshire, Scotland  The source of water, the Dronac burn, would lead to the distillery’s name.  After 170 years of production the distillery was mothballed in 1996 – and after a six-year hiatus – it resumed production in 2002. The largest American owned spirits company Brown-Forman (producer of such brands as Jack Daniel’s, Old Forester, Woodford Reserve, Canadian Mist, BenRiach, Finlandia, and Glenglassaugh – just to name a few) purchased the distillery in 2016. GlenDronach falls just outside of the top 75 distillery operations in Scotland producing around 1.4 million litres of alcohol a year.

    From the GlenDronach website:

    The GlenDronach Allardice 18 Year Old is a fitting tribute to the founder of the distillery. Matured in fine Oloroso sherry casks from Andalucia in Spain, this richly sherried Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky presents exquisite complexity, with dark treacle, allspice and walnut carrying on into the long, lingering finish.

    I typically wait to read the tasting notes on a whisky until after I’ve tried it – then compare to see if I pick up the same elements. This time was no different – so let’s see what we got in our nosing and tasting.

    STATS

    GLENDRONACH ALLARDICE 18 YEAR OLD

    • Mash Bill: 100% malted barley
    • Casks: exclusively matured in Spanish Oloroso Sherry casks
    • Age: 18 Years
    • ABV: 46% (92 proof)
    • Producer: The GlenDronach Distillery
    • Price: $145-$185 in US; cheaper from overseas online sites
    • Availability: readily available

     

    SCORING NOTES

    Notes for Jeremy and I are annotated below by the identifiers (JR) or (WJ).

    As always – the notes you see below were written and the bottle scored prior to any discussion by Jeremy and me of what we nosed, tasted, or felt overall, about the dram in consideration.  We have spent time with this whisky on multiple occasions.

    APPEARANCE

    bourbon-esque in color – mahogany, dark

    NOSE

    rich dark fruits, sherried sweetness, cherry fruit filling, brown sugar, some tartness, bright not musty  (WJ);  frozen fudge bar, raisins, dark sherry, reduced balsamic cherry sauce, a bit savory (JR)

    PALATE

    nice viscous mouthfeel, toasted caramel sugars, figs, raisins, mid-palate spice, chocolate at end with some slight citrus and a touch of cinnamon spice (WJ); quite the sherry bomb, thick mouthfeel, nice richness moving over to savory quality, some spice, cherry chocolate fudge, drying (JR)

    FINISH

    medium plus in length, I like how this dram comes together – nice (WJ); long, cinnamon at the very end with maybe some tobacco, nicely drying (JR)

    SYNOPSIS

    GLENDRONACH ALLARDICE 18 YEAR OLD: The GlenDronach 12 Year is one of my go-to sherried scotches – in the decanter right now.  The older version of the 15 Year Old is a true joy (have a bottle of the new 15 Year bottling but have not cracked it yet).  So now to the 18 Year – it continues the trend of excellent whiskies from GlenDronach – a wonderful dram.  I think I may even like it better than the 21 Year Old but I need to compare them head-to-head blind a couple times (WJ).  I love the way this straddles the sweet and savory fence (JR).  The scores below reflect the averages of three different tastings.

    ModernThirst.com Score:  92 (combined); 91 (WJ) and 92.5 (JR)

    WRAP-UP

    The GlenDronach 18 Year Old is an excellent dram – if you find it on the lower end of the price range it is one you need to add to your shelf.  How did our scores compare to the six tasters in the most recent PPWC club meeting – it received two 90.5 scores, two 91.0 scores, and two 92.5 scores for a 91.3 average overall.  Guess you can call this a definitive A- dram in our book.

     

    Facebook Comments
    92 EXCELLENT

    This oloroso matured GlenDronach will not let you down – an excellent example of a sherried whisky. The entire GlenDronach lineup is worth checking out in our opinion.

    Previous ArticleMeet Keith Anderson, the artist behind the 20th anniversary Woodford Reserve Kentucky Derby bottle
    Next Article HAPPY NATIONAL BOURBON DAY! 3-Way Blind Video Tasting PLUS Forager’s Keep!
    Wes
    • Website
    • Twitter

    Senior Staff Writer, Wes, was born and raised in Darlington, South Carolina and attended college at the United States Air Force Academy. After flying helicopters for the Air Force and teaching at the Air Force Academy, he retired in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, after twenty years of military service. He now works in public school education, is married with three children, and leads the monthly Proper Pour Whisk(e)y Club. You can follow him on Twitter @WesModernThirst and e-mail him at Wes@ModernThirst.com.

    Related Posts

    Four Gate Whiskey Announces Release 15.1, 15.2, & 15.3: The Bluegrass Trilogy

    November 30, 2021

    Old Forester 21st Release of Annual Birthday Bourbon

    August 24, 2021

    Press Release: Old Forester’s Next Release in the 117 Series Features a Blend of Barrels Aged Solely in Warehouse K 

    August 20, 2021

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Browse Bourbon and Whiskey Reviews

    Shop T-Shirts from $18.49

     

    [bbp-login]
    Pending Reviews

     

    Shop
    Craft Beer Ratings

    Matt's Beer Ratings

    WHISKEY NEWS AND REVIEWS

    Recent Comments
    • Bill on Signed Bottles
    • Bill on Signed Bottles
    • Tracy on Signed Bottles
    Archives
    • November 2021
    • August 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    Tags
    #IfIhadaBenjamin Barrel Proof Barton Beer Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Bourbon/Whiskey Reviews Bourbon Classic bourbon review Budget buffalo trace craft Diageo distillery Elijah Craig Evan Williams Four Gate Four Roses GQuiz Heaven Hill irish Whiskey Islay Jim Beam Kentucky Luxco Matt modernthirst Modern Thirst Old Forester press release rating ratings Review Reviews Rye Score scotch Single Barrel Single Malt tasting tasting notes Video Whiskey Whisky Wild Turkey
    Recent Comments:
    • Bill on Signed Bottles
    • Bill on Signed Bottles
    • Tracy on Signed Bottles

     

     

    © 2020 ModernThirst. Please be responsible. Don’t drink and drive.

    © 2020 ModernThirst. Please be responsible. Don't drink and drive.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.