Review #13: GlenDronach 19yr 1993/2012, 54.7%, OB for K&L, Oloroso Sherry Butt, Cask #490, 614 bottles

I used to smell this every day

When I first got the bottle I was doing something at night -- teaching a night class or coaching or volunteering for something -- for which drinking would have been socially not-so-acceptable, at the least. But I really wanted to drink this! So instead I'd open the bottle and sniff it a while ...

I like this profile. Some very-sherried whiskies are like malty christmas cake, with all those spices and fruit; some are like barrel char and sweet syrup; some are like old leather, tobacco boxes, marzipan, sour wood, cold espresso, and roasted nuts. This one is a sweet, viscous version of the last kind, and I am happy to have it. I like it better than the other 1990's single casks I've tried.

It does have a bit of sulphur -- bitter gunpowder on the finish. It balances out the oloroso sweetness, but it's a bit too much. It seems like it's gotten a bit more prominent with time, too. It really didn't make for a great summer dram, but now that it's getting chilly again ...

I could still smell this all day -- dark chocolate, roast pork, cranberries, balsamico ...

These give me some confidence that I'm getting decent stuff from K&L. The pre-release price ($100) was reasonable, then it went up to $140 which seems unreasonable, but is about the going GlenDronach single-barrel rate now. (Did the Cask Strength ever make it to the US?) Oh well. Still available.

score: 89