Brine

GlenDronach 15 Year Revival

GlenDronach 15 Year Revival

GlenDronach is known for crafting single malts that are richly sherried. Though the 14 Year Sauternes Cask we reviewed early last year is no longer offered, several others have been introduced (or reintroduced) to take it’s place. The GlenDronach 15 in particular has received a lot of positive attention, having been an excellent single malt from years ago recently brought back. Since we’d gone through a number of Sauternes finished whiskies, we decided to sample the sherry finish to compare.

Caol Ila 12 Year

Caol Ila 12 Year

Situated on the east coast of Islay across from the isle of Jura, Caol Ila (pronounced “Cull Eela”) is Gaelic for Sound of Islay or Islay Strait and is near Port Askaig. The distillery has a colorful history, having changed ownership several times, including having the actual buildings demolished and rebuilt as recently as 1974. Though there are single malt expressions offered, it is also used in blends like Johnnie Walker and Black Bottle. It is currently the largest distillery on Islay, and is notable for having a lighter, sweeter flavor than other single malts from this island. The malted barley is sourced from Port Ellen and is peat smoked at the same location as the malt for Lagavulin. After production, the whisky is aged and bottled in a warehouse in Glasgow.

Longrow Red 11 Year Shiraz Cask

Longrow Red 11 Year Shiraz Cask

Longrow is one of the three main divisions of Springbank and features their peated whiskies (the others are Springbank and Hazelburn). Furthermore, this is one of three Longrow offerings, always released at cask strength. The Red comes from the fact that a new red wine cask is used to finish the whisky every year. This particular release was aged in Australian Shiraz casks. We wanted to try the base model Longrow Red, as we did at a Merlin’s Rest Tasting last year, but it has sadly been discontinued. How will this one be different from the regular Longrow Red, and how will it compare to the other Campbeltown we’ve tried?