GlenDronach 2003 Single Cask 11 Year PX Puncheon

The GlenDronach single cask series is a bit confusing. As you notice on the label of this bottle it is “Finished in the finest Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask”. By natural deduction, that would imply it was matured in a different cask. What kind of cask? Nobody knows for sure. One might be able to guess. This leads to another question, is it really a single cask, if it was matured in some other cask? There’s a bit of a cult like following for what people argue as “single cask”. Some believe a single cask means that in the end, all the bottles came from one single cask – regardless of the lineage of maturation. Purists might argue it should be aged exclusively in one single cask.

At the end of the day, who cares? This 11 Year old GlenDronach Single Cask is a fruity delight, a slight departure from the rich toffee like older sherried GlenDronach’s. Distilled in 2003, aged 11 years, finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon, bottled in 2014 at a cask strength of 57.1% this is one refreshing dram. I find myself frequently going back for a pour.

BOTTLE INFO

Distiller: GlenDronach
Region: Highlands
ABV: 57.1%
Outturn: 609 Bottles
Mashbill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask Type: Finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon
Age: 11 Years
Chill Filtered: No
Color Added: No
Color: Burnt Amber

TASTING NOTES

Glass for Review: Spiegelau Nosing Glass
Nose: Beautiful open nose full of tropical fruits. Pineapple, acai, kiwi, a little bit of strawberry. Fruity notes turn to herbal spice and aloe. Sandalwood and teakwood linger. Just a hint of salty beach air. The nose evolves as it opens up, with hints of white chocolate and raspberries.
Palate: The tropical nose bursts onto the palate. Kiwi, and passion fruit are prominent. Very nice mouthfeel, slightly oily with a good mouthcoating. Similar to the nose, the fruity notes evolve into white chocolate covered strawberries and raspberries. The fruity and sweet notes are balanced with a touch of wood spice.
Finish: Palate continues into the finish with wood spice transforming into dulce de leche, chocolate, slight toffee and marshmallow. The finish lingers with spicy wood and herbal notes, but not overpowering.
Overall: GlenDronach is one of my favorite distilleries and I really like that this Sherry Puncheon cask is different than some of the other older Sherry casks. The presence of tropical fruit is a nice detour from the usual Sherry bombs. I find myself coming back to this bottle over and over being an easy-to-sip and unwind dram.

Average Price: $125USD