Christmas (cake in a bottle) in July
Six months ago....
The scene is set. Four dimly lit figures sit around a table. In the middle of the table are several small glass vials containing dark, mysterious, seductive liquids of unknown provenance. Their goal is simple, to find the best Sherry cask whisky available and bottle and bring it back home....
Fast forward to today....
The Whisky List are pleased to announce the forthcoming release of a 1993 Oloroso Sherry GlenDronach single cask exclusively bottled for Australia. Cask #392 was distilled on February 12th 1993 and bottled at 51.0% earlier this year, making it the first 26 year old 1993 GlenDronach bottling to make it into the wild.
The cask was selected by our local tasting panel from several samples specially selected for us by Rachel Barrie (Master Blender for The GlenDronach, The BenRiach and Glenglassaugh distillers) based on a brief of finding the best Sherried whisky from the 1993 vintage, a vintage much loved and obsessed over by GlenDronach fans (for good reason as it turns out).
When and where can I buy or try it?
The GlenDronach Single Cask #392 is priced at RRP $700 AUD, but a limited quantity will be available for pre-sale online at a special price of $650 through The Whisky List from 30 July - just in time for Father's day! TWL members will be notified first when it becomes available so if you haven't already, sign up to be a TWL member here! Update: available now here - discounts applied at checkout!
It will also be available to try at special pre-launch tasting events in a knockout GlenDronach line-up in most major cities around the country - dates and venues to be announced shortly.
The bottling will also be available to try from selected bar partners across most major cities as well and we'll let you know where and when as stocks land and make their way out. Last but not least, The GlenDronach 1993 Cask #392 will make its public debuts in VIC at The Whisky Show 2019 and in NSW at The Oak Barrel 2019 Whisky Fair on Friday the 30th and Saturday the 31st where it will be on sale and on the shelves (before anywhere else) and available to taste by request from the Brown-Forman stand.
Oh and we're giving a bottle away... Keep your eyes peeled for all the details and your chance to win!
So what is all the fuss about?
As much as we do love blowing our own trumpets sometimes, this is an absolute cracker of a whisky. We know that everyone has their own palate and looks for something different in each dram, which is why we have been sharing some samples that were flown out early with a few people here and there you might know or recognise for their opinions. We will be sharing these over the coming weeks and days.
For now we have;
"It was only yesterday, we were sampling this whisky for some local Sydney bartenders, the room was aloud with conversation and instantly it was silent. I had just started pouring the 392 into glasses, and the first thing people notice is just how captivating the nose of this whisky is. The powerful Oloroso sherry notes invite you into the glass like a siren luring you to sample this sweet nectar of the gods. I personally adore this whisky. It has everything I want from sherry cask whisky, a real conversation starter.
Give this whisky at least ten minutes to open up and breathe. It's spent 26 fine years aging, you owe it to your palate those few extra minutes, trust me, it will be worth every sip. Showcasing the complexities of flavours that the GlenDronach spirit evolves over time, Christmas cake, spices and hints of choc married with the Oloroso sherry, you will be hard pressed to find another cask that is a champion in perfect balance of both the cask it was aged in and the characteristics of the distillery. And the finish is to die for. Gentle warmth and the length, it feels like it lasts forever."
For what it's worth below are the tasting notes we came up with - along with the far more important, official notes from Rachel Barrie herself;
Rachel Barrie's take;
"An appearance of Hazelnut in colour, a nose of strawberry preserve, burnt orange zest, sandalwood and honeycomb and a palate consisting of red liquorice orange zest, Oloroso, pepped apple and bramble.
The finish is long, warming, and lingering. The mouth is left to cope with wave after wave of warming sweetness and richness to this whisky. Give this whisky time to open up and you will see it transform while you taste."
Our (totally unbiased) take;
Sherry-rich, dusty, old leather (in a really good way) and tobacco on the nose.
Amazing balance on the palate; mostly silky with the lightest touch of oak tannin makes it sit perfectly on the tongue. The Sherry influence is evident, but not overpowering by any means, balanced by the spirit's warmth and subtle, complex spices.
The long, drawn-out finish exposes a hint of vanilla sweetness that lingers and lingers and lingers and...
We are so excited to be bringing this whisky to Australia!
Cheers,
The Whisky List
PS - Thank so much to May Lawrence for her beautiful photography and to The Kittyhawk for allowing us to shoot these photos at their lovely venue!