Glenfarclas 105

First bottled in 1968 (what I wouldn't give to get me hands on some of that!) Glenfarclas 105 is an original NAS that is bottled at high strength and well worth your attention. While the casks used are believed to be in the 8-10 year old age range the quality of sherry casks used is unsurpassed in the industry.

Glenfarclas 105, 60% alc., $85-90

C: Copper

N: Xmas cake coming and going (raisins, dark cherries, ginger, nutmeg, and orange zest), also clean rubber notes (like the inside of a dishwashing glove) and cold buttered toast (wholewheat toast given all the malty notes)

P: Huge and explosive, the sweet sherry dominates (more rubber notes crisscross the palate), the wood dries out the palate quite nicely while the orange zest from the nose has become chocolate covered orange peels

F: Long and warming, the alcohol resonates all the way down the throat and into the chest while the bitter wood sits in harmony with the sweet sherry

In conclusion: A benchmark cask strength whisky that should feature in everyone's collection. A personal favorite of mine for almost twenty years.

The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old

Well, would you Adam and Eve it? Just a week after saying very nice things about The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old in the opening of my Balvenie 15 Year Old review and who should appear in today's whisky advent calendar window? Note that the UK version of DoubleWood 12 Year Old is bottled at 40% alc. while the US version is bottled at 43% alc. (don't ask me why). Buckle up, here comes one of my favorites.

Behind window #16: The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old, 40% alc., £28/$43

C: Light Copper

N: While the bourbon influence frames the whisky, the sherry is never too far away, ripe cantaloupe melon, honey, and a distinct smokiness

P: Rich and spicy, very round on the palate, toasted oak, lots more honey, vanilla, and dried apricots

F: Moderate with luscious fruits (more ripe cantaloupe and apricots), delicate nuttiness, and Garam Masala at the very end

In conclusion: A terrific entry whisky that gives massive bang for the buck. A potentially decadent dessert whisky paired with orange spice chocolate, coffee, and cigars. Not bad for a 40/43% alc. whisky around £30/$45!

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

GlenDronach 12 Year Old

Aberdeenshire's GlenDronach distillery, originally known as "Guid Glendronach," was purchased in 2008 by the BenRiach Distillery Company (who added Glenglassaugh to their stable of distilleries in 2013). Their 12 Year Old is matured in a mix of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks. 

Behind window #13: GlenDronach 12 Year Old, 43% alc., £29/$44

C: Color

N: The malted grain takes center stage but there's a good, clean rubberiness and fruity notes, too, suggestion of brown sugar with cumin edges -- the brown sugar develops over time

P: There's a lovely strong coffee punch before more malted grain enters the fray, yeasty and bready with some oak towards the back of the palate

F: Short to moderate, pleasantly warming and sweet with whispers of Fox's Turkish Delight in the very back -- the brown sugar becomes more pronounced as time passes

In conclusion: After the disappointment of last week's Dalmore 15, this GlenDronach shows what competitively priced sherry whisky has to offer regardless of chill filtering and entry level alcohol strength. Worth investigating.

Sincere thanks to Master of Malt's Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old

Yesterday was a revelation from a distillery I've avoided as much as humanely possible. Today's dram comes from a distillery I recommend to everyone. At some point, every sherry loving whisky drinker in my life will have been advised to purchase The Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Year Old (great price, solid whisky, does exactly what it says on the tin). The "Single Barrel" line was launched in 2014 and puts the focus on a single type of cask rather than bottling a single barrel (though outturns remain small). Here comes the sherry cask at a tremendous bottling strength for an OB.

Behind window #8: The Balvenie Single Barrel Sherry Cask 15 Year Old, 47.8% alc., £62/$93

C: Amber

N: Black tea gives way to pronounced malt, dark raisins, and Kola Kubes

P: Soft entry, warm orange spice and black raspberry jam with bitter chocolate and toasted hazelnuts

F: Long with lingering jamminess and dark chocolate bitterness

In conclusion: What a classy Speyside dram. Beautiful balance of flavors, great texture, and a finish that's so yummy and long it has me reaching for another drink just to go around again and again.

Sincere thanks to Master of Malts' Drinks by the Dram for the sample.

Glen Grant, The Major's Reserve

While reviewing Yoichi this morning I compared it favorably to Glen Grant, The Major's Reserve. That got me thinking that I hadn't enjoyed that particular tipple in a while. So, as any self-respecting whisky lover would do, I pulled my bottle off my shelf and poured a wee dram (just to get reacquainted, you understand!).

Distilled in Rothes, in Speyside, the Glen Grant line-up isn't particularly well known in the US. Part of the Campari stable, their 5 Year Old is the number one single malt in Italy. The Major's Reserve, a non-age statement release with a screw cap, is a very affordable daily drinker matured exclusively in bourbon barrels.

Glen Grant, The Major's Reserve, 40% alc., $20/$30-$35

C: Pale gold

N: Light and effervescent with US Smarties (that candied, powdered sugar note), cereal, peach pits and pear skin

P: Vanilla custard, apricots, and a subtle wood influence with a distinct feintiness as it transitions into the finish

F: Short with delicate fruit and wood notes, maybe even a little nutty towards the end

In conclusion: A great single malt for the price and a very enjoyable and easy drinker. There's no reason not to have a bottle of this on your own whisky shelf.