Glendronach 18. I recently got back from a whirlwind trip through the Scottish highlands and had the opportunity to visit one of my favorite distilleries – Glendronach!

Glendronach whiskies are known for being “sherry bombs” – whiskies that have prominent flavor influence from aging in sherry casks.

Scotch whiskies are popularly aged in casks that previously stored sherry wine. Back in the day, sherry was a popular drink (likely why it’s associated with grandmas today), and hence the abundance of sherry casks were repurposed to age whisky. Today, no one drinks sherry (a tragedy really!), but the tradition of sherry barrel usage has persisted. Almost always these are specialty “sherry casks” that are primed solely for the whisky industry, and the actual sherry from the barrels go on to being made into vinegar or for other indirect consumption.

Even still, sherry casks are DRAMATICALLY more expensive than ex-bourbon barrels (which we have plenty of given the huge popularity of bourbon) – something along the lines of $1000 to $70 each. This is one reason sherried whiskies often are only FINISHED in sherry casks – spending only the last 10-20% of its aging life there.

It’s noteworthy to pay attention to the term sherry MATURATION, meaning a whisky has spent its entire life in sherry casks. Sherry isn’t necessarily better or worse than bourbon, or even new wood barrels, just different. That said, all of Glendronach’s core lineup are sherry matured, hence a real delight for those who enjoy the flavor of sherried whiskies.

I highly recommend their whole line! The 12 is a great intro and IMO one of the best deals in whisky. From the 15 onwards, you really get a good feel for the heavily sherried style that Glendronach is loved for, and the 18 really just takes the cake in luscious rich sherry goodness.