A small trio of new holy Glendronach


August 17, 2026

A small trio of new holy Glendronach

The branding of dear Glendronach is getting closer and closer to Macallan, with, for example, these NAS ‘Rooms’ that do rather bring to mind the big brand’s own NAS releases (Harmony, A Night Wherever…) On the other hand, rather like at Tamdhu, the sherry here should be more classical, closer to what the large brand we have just been mentioning so insistently used to be some thirty years ago. Well, when it’s sherry, naturally.

Glendronach ‘The Sevillian Room’ (43%, OB, House Edition, 2026)

Pure sherry, with a combination of PX, oloroso and palo cortado. We just hope this room in Seville is a room with a view and somewhat removed from the hordes of tourists. Colour: full gold. Nose: old walnuts and shoe polish, raisins, dried figs and triple sec. It could hardly be more classical than this, while for now, the modest 43% is holding the fort rather well. Mouth: a little spicy and modern, with nutmeg, cinnamon and a little sawdust. Some orange liqueur comes along to rescue the whole thing somewhat, but we remain a little too close to freshly seasoned wood. Finish: quite long, more peppery, with more nocino. May I remind you that nocino is Italian, not Spanish, and even less Andalusian. Comments: I found the nose better than the palate, which is a little young and ‘pumped up’ with sherry, but this is still a very, very good young whisky.
SGP:461 - 82 points.

Glendronach ‘The Venetian Room’ (46%, OB, House Edition, 2026)

I’m not sure whether the real theme of this new collection is overtourism, perhaps not after all. Here we have PX, oloroso and amarone, so some seriously bodybuilt Italian red wine, which makes this more Italian-Spanish than truly Venetian. Anyway, amarone is from Verona, not Venice, or so it seems to me… Colour: onion skin. Nose: the Sevillian, plus some red wine made from partially dried grapes, which is precisely what amarone is. Truth be told, it’s not bad at all, coherent, gentle but not schmalzy so far. Very PX dulce in the end. Mouth: all of this is fairly rich, whith fortified wine, it doesn’t integrate too badly with the malt, despite these notes of tomato (and leaves) and a slightly peppery bitterness, rather close to grape stalks. Finish: quite long, rich, spicy. Peppery raisins. Comments: we cannot really say this has the lightness and elegance of Venice, unless you find in this amusing little juice something slightly… Bellini-like. The Sevillian was a little more coherent for me.
SGP:461 - 80 points.

It’s amusing, all these very clerical colours, you’d think we were at a conclave in the Vatican, wouldn’t you?

Glendronach 14 yo ‘Boynsmill House’ (46.8%, OB, 2026)

Oloroso, PX, then a claret finish, so red Bordeaux I imagine, which means blackcurrants and bell pepper, we suppose. Right, let’s hold tight… Incidentally, this bottle celebrates the 200th anniversary of Glendronach’s original ‘house’, a bit like their own Easter Elchies, if you will. Right, red Bordeaux and malt, that’s without a safety net… Colour: good news, it isn’t pink, just apricot. Nose: this is rounder than the others, without any excess of cabernet or merlot, with some lovely pink-orange liqueur and a few touches of candied cherry, but once again, nothing excessive. No overbearing grape stalks, pips or skins, nor any blackberries, blackcurrants or raspberries. In short, a very pleasant nose. Mouth: well played! We all know just how antithetical red Bordeaux casks are to malt whisky, but here it works rather well, with a little chilli, bitter orange, pepper, and the proverbial tomato leaf. Pink peppercorns. Finish: same. Blackcurrant buds and grey pepper. Comments: this kind of strange composition generally struggles to reach 85 points on our humble little rating scale, but we’re not very far off here, even if it does creak a little here and there.
SGP:561 - 83 points.

Well, these wine-boosted NAS are probably not terribly indispensable, but I find they’re getting better and better at making them. Anyway, at the rate things are going in Bordeaux, they’ll soon be doing cask seasoning just like in Jerez.

Check the index of all Glendronach we've tasted