Glendronach Ode To The Valley Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Part of the core range that launched in late 2024. It includes three NAS expressions highlighting sherry maturation. Ode to the Valley uses sherry casks with Ruby Port casks from Portugal in support. The others are Ode to the Embers, a peated expression matured in Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez casks, and Ode to the Dark, which relies on Pedro Ximénez casks. 46.2% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... Nose: more Port than sherry, which shows as a mustiness. Rather thin and tart fruity notes, such as red plums, cranberries and raisins, along with orange peels. Underneath it shows an alcoholic note and young wood. Then muesli, a certain sour earthy note and roselle tea. Mouth: still high on alcohol, with hints of raspberry eau-de-vie and plum wine, more roselle and cranberry juice. Some darker blackberry underneath, as well as some cold coffee, cocoa and a slightly bloated vegetal note. Then hints of ginger and plain malty notes too. Finish: quite short, with more sour berries, wood spice and hints of cocoa. A very basic malt that is lacking weight and feels a bit diluted, allowing the sourness and alcohol to shine through. Too superficial and not particularly flattering for a series that wants to pay tribute to sherry casks. - whiskynotes.be

...when we are presented with these new marketing-led NAS whiskies, we almost feel sorry for the distillery, and because we find glimpses of "the good old days" in them, we want to like them but realistically we have to just come to the conclusion that they are too young and too expensive for what they are. Unfortunately that's how Brown-Forman "positioned" the range, and hence it'll just sit on the shelves, together with the now vastly overpriced 15 and 18. A shame, because Glendronach used to be my favourite distillery. - whiskybase.com