Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020 – Liquid Gold

94.5 points

This Speyside single malt was distilled at GlenDronach in July 1993 and laid down in a single Oloroso puncheon to mature for more than a quarter of a century. Bottled in 2019 at a natural cask strength of 54.2% abv, this 26-year-old expression has been specially selected for The Whisky Shop customers. Only 665 bottles have been filled, each one individually numbered.

The nose has dark manuka honey, treacle and oak balsam, with chocolate-coated sultanas. The palate has cherry and walnut chocolate cake, with lingering cocoa, raisin, and tobacco leaf. The finish is long and rich.

We are delighted to release this single cask GlenDronach that has been bottled exclusively for us at The Whisky Shop. This one-off release has been aged for 26 years in a Pedro Ximénez puncheon – a large cask of around 500 litres, a similar size to a sherry butt but with a wider shape. This is a rich and bold sherry that has intense, sweet dried fruit, raisin and fig notes. This release is limited to 682 bottles at a strength of 54.9% abv.

The nose opens with striking notes of plum, rich fruit cake and hints of mandarin moving into a decadent palate of maraschino cherry, figs, dark chocolate and a hint of maple syrup. There is further sweetness on the finish which intertwines with some delicate exotic spices.

An exceptional single cask release from Glendronach that was made in 2006 and matured for 13 years in a single PX Puncheon sherry cask. It was then bottled in 2020 at a cask strength of 57.4% abv. Released exclusively for the UK, only 670 bottles were produced from this cask. 

Aromas of sandalwood, orange peel and Merlot wine fill the nose, alongside chocolate-coated cherries and a crack of black pepper. The cherries turn into a cherry cake laced with wine on the palate, with notes of honey, milk chocolate and ginger developing in the flavour. Warm spices of nutmeg and liquorice make for a delicious finish.

Matured in both Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years, the ‘Parliament’ continues the great GlenDronach tradition of offering fruit-laden intensity in its single malts.

An exceptional single cask release from Glendronach that was made in 1992 and matured for 27 years in a single Oloroso sherry cask. It was then bottled in 2019 at a cask strength of 49.5% abv. Released exclusively for the UK, only 613 bottles were produced from this cask. 

An intense infusion of dark fruit layers, chocolate and walnuts fill the nose, with rich and nutty Oloroso sherry bursting on the palate, making this a deeply decadent dram. Cinnamon spice lingers in a warm finish, with a final burst of berry preserve in the aftertaste. 

Nose: robust and earthy with chocolate dates, sweet mince pies and walnut.

Palate: sultanas and sherry-soaked fruitcake with mulled wine notes emerging.

Finish: ripe plums and walnut with a whisper of smoke.

Nose: complex with sherry and brandy, plums, raisins and dates, all tempered by earthy notes.

Palate: soft plums to begin with, before spiced mulled wine notes build to a crescendo.

Finish: dried fruits and dark chocolate.