I’ve been contemplating writing a post on holidays whisky purchases and to be precise, a festive yet striking gold on the value for money scale whisky. When I started looking around for options I encountered the list of the new offers from Glendronach Batch 12 and the rising prices of said offers from a batch to a batch. So I thought to myself: if only the Glendronach 15yo was still available as it’s a perfect fit to my criteria – sherried, festive, complex for its age, rocking VFM.

Why did I think it’s not available? Because last summer it was announced that it will be not be produced for (at least) 3 years due to shortage of spirit of the fitting age. I really thought that following that announcement, all available bottles will be gone in a snap, but what do you know? It’s still available out there! Well, of course it’s not as available as it was in the past – sold out at most online UK shops but there’s still old stock out there in many European stores and across the USA, so I decided to jump ahead and publish the Glendronach 15 yo review now so you can see if it fits your holiday shopping requirements and order it before it’s truly out of stock.

Glendronach 15 (46%, €58.95/$79.29)

Nose: Lovely sherry impact. No youth notes as I felt with the old 12 yo, big dried fruit  and soaked raisins. demerara sugar. I do get some whiffs of vanilla, orange chocolate, toffee and eventually a rich nutmeg note.

Palate: Again the sherry influence: sweet dried fruits, sour cherries hard candies, raspberries, citrus, balsamic vinegar, oak wood, white pepper, coffee, a bit dirty.

Finish: Long with oak, sour sherry, dried berries, espresso grounds.

Thoughts: Totally on a league of its own comparing to the 12 yo. It’s balanced, complex for a 15 year old with lively and a bit dirty profile which keeps you at the edge of the chair. Bottom line: heed my advise and go grab a bottle or two while shops still carry the old stock. It won’t be produced for another three years (at least!) so don’t miss out a chance to grab a good whisky for the holidays.