Style: Dark Fruits and Nutty Malt
Nose:
Dark plums and prunes waking up from slumber, while perfumed malt latches on a dominant and dry peppermint spice. Cranberries dragged downwards by weighty dark chocolate, toffee and espresso sediments. Coal ambers, maybe a faint layer of peat as well? A rich and surprisingly dry aroma, and the sweetness oscillates in and out nicely. Interesting.
Palate:
Dark fruits injected with amber coal heat. Cranberries, black currants and red cherries safely anchored onto a heavy layer of earthy liquorice and rich dark chocolate sauce. Nutmeg, tobacco leaves and almonds scattered around coffee beans, still getting a residue of peat here. Quite a round and deep expression. Amaretto-infused malt occasionally go off the script, oatmeal reduced into powder form at the back end.
Finish:
Strawberry jam lightly spread on a freshly baked Kurtosh. Chocolate and delicious sherry fruits gather and push for a nice finish.
Thoughts:
Cherry sweet GlenDronach lined up in a rather deep, round and rich formation. A pretty-dark fruit core anchored tightly onto an even heavier layer of dark chocolate and coffee, which is cleverly counterbalanced by strong coal fire heat, peppermint spice and other drier facets of the spirit. Although personally I feel the nutty malt feels slightly isolated at times, nonetheless this PX runs a delicate yet sonorous line, quite an interesting dram.
☆ [Recommended]
[54.1% Original Bottling / 1996 Distilled / 2014 Bottled / Aged 18 Years / Single Cask / Cask Number #1487 / 545 of 677 Bottles / *]
–Esmond
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