GlenDronach 21 Years Old “Parliament”
GlenDronach 21 Years Old “Parliament” Scotch Single Malt Whisky
In the spirit of our (American) holiday this weekend, I will be doing two playful tastings. Today is the GlenDronach Aged 21 Years “Parliament”. On this day, 246 years ago, we were all still loyal British subjects….well, I suppose not so loyal up in my area of the country as we had been in open rebellion for at least a year, but I digress….so on this July 3rd, as we say goodbye to the old and prepare for the new, what better sip to take than a 21 year old Scotch called “Parliament”....now, those whisky aficionados astute enough to go to the GlenDronach official website will say “but Nice Sipper, the GlenDronach Parliament is named after a flock of birds” and you may be correct, if being American has taught me anything, it is never to let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Matured in Pedro Ximénez & Oloroso Sherry casks.
ABV: 48%
How it smells….lots of fig, a little musty, orange citrus, candied nuts and rock candy.
How it tastes….starts off with ginger and molasses and rich honied malt followed by cherries and orange zest, very fruity! The end is a bit peppery with a long finish of sweet figs and prunes and a bit of chocolate on the extended linger.
Price…$300
Rating...🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts….What. A. Sip. This was amazing. I have grown to love a lot of the GlenDronach series over the past couple of years and it may even be approaching The Balvenie status for me. This sip is so fruity and sweet but manages to refrain going too far into cloyingly sweet territory. It starts off kind of like a Fig Newton if the outer layer was a ginger snap cookie instead. As you sip, you experience a wonderful progression of fruit to spice and back to fruit again. The PX and Oloroso aging comes through in spades and there is a lot going on all at once. At 48% it is wonderfully smooth, but also rich and robust. Just for kicks, I put a dab of water in there that I wouldn’t recommend repeating. The water, even a bit, tames it way too much as you lose that rich boldness at full blast. This is simply a wonderful taste in your mouth from start to finish and the linger is ever so delicious. At this price point, value goes out the window but 5x 🥃 on taste is appropriate.
That said, goodbye Great Britain. It was fun while it lasted, but tomorrow is a new day and while Scotch is the Godfather of whisky, there’s a new generation waiting to take hold in the New World with this great American Experiment.
