On Saturday, Formigine will become the new capital of Italian whisky: Max Righi is going to unveil the hew headquarters of Whisky Antique… More than a shop, it’s almost a museum of incredible bottles. We visited it last summer, helping Max set shelves and stuff. And tasting a brand new bottling: a Glendronach. You already know how rare is an independent bottling of this whisky (in fact, the “d” is a lowercase letter…). This was distilled in 1990 and it spent 23 years in an Oloroso cask. The color is dark amber.
N: the alcohol stayed in Scotland, allowing a wonderful, opened nose. There’s a robust lash of sugary sweetness: sultanas, maybe Pandoro. Later, the classic red fruit richness (cherries!) and a chocolate note. Apricot croissant, definetely. It’s creamy, reminding of trifle. Beside this, a less obvious side, quite common in Glendronachs: balsamic vinegar, mushrooms, damp wood. Really pleasant and with a strong character.
P: we like to stress the distinctiveness of this Glendronach, comparing to other single casks, like the one by MWF. That was a dark and woody dram, this is light-hearted and sugary, but without being easy and people-pleasey. A carpet bombing of cherries, strawberries and raspberries, with dried apricots, too. Particularly majestic is the creaminess: buttery brioche, panettone and hazelnuts. It’s not so common to distinctly notice the malt taste in sherry monsters: here the miracle happens, in a glorious symphony of nuts. Walnuts and butter towards the end.
F: long and persistent, chocolate with red berries and an infinite aftertaste of dried fruits. Excellent notes of walnuts and butter again.
Truly splendid. A remarkable complexity, even more shocking because it goes beyond our hopes: we expected a sherry monster, and we have it, actually. But it’s not a mere sherry monster, we’re facing a whisky in which the cask didn’t betray the spirit, respecting its peculiar personality. We literally fell in love with its intensity and the high quality of flavors. 92/100, chapeau, Max.
Sottofondo musicale consigliato: Tim Maia – O caminho do Bem.
