Glendronach 1996/2012 16y single cask - real of fake?

Andyvans · June 14 2016 at 6:33AM

Hi,

I came across the Glendronach 1996, 16y, bottled in 2012, single cask, bottle #158/497 here in Canada in one of the larger liquor stores. I bought it, opened, tasted, and liked it a lot. But then I started to wonder how is it possible that the bottle of such a nice whisky hasn't been sold since 2012? Is it possible that I am getting a fake? Are there any ways to check for a potential fake bottle? Are my concerns even valid or am I overreacting? Any thoughts or advice from your experience, please share.

Frederico · June 14 2016 at 7:00AM

What's cask number? Which store did you buy it from?

Andyvans · June 14 2016 at 7:12AM

Cask 1496. Bought from Liquor Depot in Calgary. Just came back from Glendronach website, this cask is not on their list :evil: So I sent them a message asking about Cask 1496. Hopefully will get the answer soon.

Andyvans · June 14 2016 at 2:33PM

Just received an email reply from GD to my inquiry confirming that Cask 1496 was exclusively bottled for Liquor Depot and should only be available in Alberta. It is not mentioned on GD website because it contains only batches that are available worldwide. Hmm, go figure. Maybe I should buy a few extra bottles, it is only $110 CAD, and at cask strength it is better value then the GD 18, which is only 43% and $125. The aroma and palate is fuller then the Revival which I tried last year. I guess I answerd my own question then :wink:

Frederico · June 14 2016 at 4:23PM

Thank you Andy for the info. I also looked at the same single cask but was hesitated. It has a whiskybase score of 84 vs 87.5 for Revival (do these scores matter is another debate). I read one review saying it has bad sulphur. Did you get this taste too?

Andyvans · June 14 2016 at 6:09PM

I also saw that review mentioning strong sulphur in this batch. I don't know how sulphur smells or tastes in whisky. In the review they mentioned ashes and burnt matches dominating the palate. I certainly didn't find anything like that. A couple of things that I noticed with my unsophisticated taste - first, it felt a bit overdone with sherry, which I liked and I assume it is normal for a real sherry bomb like this matured for 16 years in PX casks. It is definitely more sherried than the Revival. Probably because of the cask strength. Second, in the aftertaste there was a presence of older wood, not oak, but wood, almost felt like I can taste the age of the barrel, with a little bit of charcoal in it. Like the barrel started to give up a little with age and a tiny part of it made its way into the aftertaste. I liked this part too, something that I didn't notice in anything I tried. But maybe this is an indication of sulphur, I don't know. But definitely nothing like ashes and burnt matches.

Frederico · June 14 2016 at 6:30PM

Thanks for taking time to reply.