@@ghantakha5568 Yeah thats what I thought. Its one of my faveorite whiskies and noticeably better than the 15 or 18 to my palate! Thanks for your response......Slainte'
Thanks for the Malt moment Ralfy. The GD Parliment 21 is one of my most favourite sherry whiskys, I'm so glad you gave this one the time to overcome its initial monotone style, as most reviewers seam to not take the time this whisky needs. Once again you have shown you are a wise and sage man.
This is a great whiskey , i had glendronach 12 which is good whisky , 15 revival is nice but changed a bit over in past few years . And i tried this 21yo parliament and yeah its bit strong sipping neat , adding just few drops of water and letting it rest in glass 5 mins u will be nosing and tasting a really wonderful dram. Its great sipping whiskey easily 92/100 for me . Ralfy should review it again , he was wrong at scoring on this day.
Greeting Mr Ralfy, I want to buy this for my birthday, and I said to myself, "Where is better than Ralfy Whisky University?and gladly, I found this review. Considering its price now in 2024 for AU$300. The bottle shop also has a bundle option of 15,18, and 21 for $620, which is much less to buy them individually. So here I am , undecided, maybe Glenfarclas 17 or Deanston 12 or these. Very hard. Thank you for our go-to knowledge base as always.
I treated myself to a double GD21 in the George at Inveraray. Ooooft!! Hid the receipt from yon Mrs of mine. Delicious. Now I know to investigate the 15. Cheers Ralfy.
Malt mates, Thought at 3:30 make sense, especially now, but do you really think that Glendronach was buying cheaper sherry casks made just for whisky 21+ years ago. Seems like the boom is on now, and distillers have to up production more from now on... I did get a bottle of this a few weeks ago. Wanted to keep a great Glendronach around for a better day, if this is not it, is there an older or different bottling to look for? Love the 15 btw.
Yes it is great and it shouldn’t have been less than 90/100 . Ralfy being stupid he gave less point . Don’t trust on one person’s review see other people’s review as well . I have seen many giving this 21 year old 90+ points .
What year was the one you had bottled? Anything over 2017 is different from the actual age stated. Like the 21yr bottled in 2019 is actual 24yrs old. This video is 6years old so this is probably 2014-2015 bottle
I'm just tasting a bottle of this in mid 2019 and have to say this vintage I have is the best Scotch I have ever tasted. Its an explosion of flavors in your mouth! Easily 94-97 in my book!
@@gman5986 I have tasted GlenDronach 18yo Allardice last edition in 2019. An explosion of smells on the nose and flavors in the mouth, wave after wave of dried fruits, thick spices with ginger flavor, vanilla, dulce de leche, dark chocolate, sour cherries, raspberry jam, coffee, cloves and cinnamon. The flavors benefit enormously from alcohol bottled at 46% ABV and without cold filtration or artificial coloring. I really believe that it is the best 18yo that I have tasted of recent editions. I will try to capture another bottle if possible because this edition will run out quickly. Regards
@@gman5986 The 21yo has not tried it. They say it's a combination of 15yo and 18yo. The 21yo is a wonderful whiskey but much more expensive than the 18yo and the dif of maturation are only 3 years. Regards 🍷🍷
@@thewhiskybothy Hi Ralfy - it's definitely later in the year :) There's also the 2021 bottling, supposedly 26 years old now... Would love to see you re-review!
The first time I tried GlenDronach was in a wonderful bar called Fidlers in Drumnadrochit - I essentially walked in and the bar man gave me a dram of it before I'd opened my mouth. It begun a memorable night where I sampled some fantastic drops. I've help GlenDronach in high regard ever since - it's all about the context, isn't it?
oxidizing and developement in the bottle yes... about 2,5 years ago i bought the Laddie Ten and i hated it with righteous fury. i did recognize the quality but the tasting notes were just not my thing. 2 weeks ago i re-tried it. the bottle sat in the cupboard being half full for over 2 years and it was amazing. being discontinued, i was fortunate enough to buy one last week in an obscure online shop.
85? We just had this in our whisky club and the consensus was somewhere around 89ish and I as a sherryfreak- chairman gave a healthy 93. Basically a budget whisky that gives you all the old whisky characteristics like fungus, cellar, moss, damp and mushrooms. I was shocked with the diminution of the 15yo quality last time I tasted but this thing is a belter and bought 5 bottles when they were on discount.
Is there any chance you can review the 18 yr Allardice? I know back at the time of this recording, you were not impressed. Would you be willing to give it another go? Thank you in advance
I just picked this up from Costco for $180, absolutely love it!!! Nose - plums, sherry Palate - sweet, a little spicy, alcohol burn - before water Finish - citrus and dark chocolate Let it sit open!!!
I love the George Bowman Dark Colonial Rum because of the roasted and burnt sugar notes. I am wondering if there are any Scotches out there that have a similar profile. I get half way there with Craggamore 12 Y. Is there anything out there more roasted but not as peaty?
Ralfy, As usual, insightful and informative. With the Glendronach you mentioned sherry. I was wondering if those single malts finished in Port casks had the same effect as does sherry? I happen to enjoy Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban quite a bit and have yet to open my Balvenie Portwood until I graduate from university next month so could you just comment on that briefly? Mike Frederick, Maryland USA
Hi Ralfy, i now visit my parents, they have a fireplace in their home: my Balvenie tastes a lot better to me now. I feel like a member of the " magic malt moment" club here in the black forrest!
You’re completely wrong on this one I’m afraid. Of course opinions are subjective but this is a fantastic whisky which deserves no less than an 90/100. Sherry matured, uncoloured, unchilfiltered, 48% abv, rich and complex... this is everything that a good whisky should be.
Don't know if it's available around you, or if it's exclusive to Denmark, but GD just made a 9 year old PX malt. It's 48%, and pretty good. A bit sharp, but not bad. Take a look at it, perhaps? We could easily arrange a passing on of a bottle.
You mentioned in an earlier review that you didn't want to review the Laphorig quarter cask because you thought you were going to be disappointed. Any chance of you elaborating on why, and any chance of you checking if you were right? ;) I'm relatively recent to whisky and I do like Laphroigs standard 10 year old, so it would be fun to know if the quarter cask is a good buy or not!
Have u seen peatlova's review on this 21? They have a much different outcome than what you do. They actually put it thru a vigorous competition and this came on top...is it possible that there is an inconsistency from the manufacturer?
Hi Ralfy. dramming on the Ardmore Trad. Very well made malt. Interestingly enough this AT has a quality of age to it. Being NAS, is it within the realm of possibility that Ardmore uses older malts to get this profile? Its got some notes here that one doesn't readily find in an 8-10yo be it.unpeated or not! Thanks
Ralfy would this be effective? if casking our own single malt from new make (utilizing the 3L cask mini cask set we purchased from Wusmonds Distillery while visiting on holiday) packing it in or around a salty environment maybe setting the filled cask in a box 1/2 filled with salt - would that cask breath in the salt (for a pseudo marine quality) thus roughly giving it a version of some "Islay Sea notes"?? Good idea, bad idea or terrible idea....what do you think?? Its all alchemy anyway right?! Thankyou
I think the difficulty for producers is the limited market for sherry worldwide. There are only a few countries where sherry is still a popular drink, so production volume is much lower than malt whisky. There just are not enough butts and hogsheads available for the Scotch trade and they have become very expensive. Rather than increase prices, distillers are tempted to using other ways of cask preparation to give a sherry effect. Unfortunately, these efforts do not mature the whisky as well as traditional sherry casks.
I think the quality of GD's standard range is declining slightly. They sold out so much in recent years, maybe they have to resort to heavier rerackingand coating.
Do you notice the same transformation without the addition of water? That is, if you poured a glass neat and then left it for 30 minutes, does it open up the same way? Just curious as to how strong of a role the water plays in this.
Funny, I liked Glendronach 12 more than Highland Park 12. Funny how individual our tastes really are. I'm getting a bottle of Yamazaki 18 for Christmas, any chance you'll do a review of that anytime?
oh yeah, double malt mention, #485. But hey even Spiderman needs a malt moment every now and then! here's a thought instead of a pricey bottle for x-mas how about a little craft still!
I don't generally like sherried whiskies... I'm sipping on some Mohan Meakin's Solan Number One Full Bodied Malt Whisky from India bottled at 42.8%... It's good and cheap! I might go for a 10 or 12 year old Glendronach if it's matured in a bourbon cask :)
Hi Ralfy,thanks for the great review! What do you think of the 18 years? Currently i can find a lot 2018 version which over 22 years in it with a reasonable price 😂
Hey Ralfy! Donyou ever review travel retail aka Duty Free Whiskeys? Apparently some distileries make special bottlings just for Duty Free. And thats where I get most of my Single Malts :-D !
***** E.g. a whole plethora of neatly packaged and marketed NAS Johnnie Walkers. All worth reviewing, if you ask... well, Johnnie Walker that would be. ;-)
Now while you review sherry monster... The latest version of Aberlour A'bunadh (Batch 49) is rated quite high in comparison to the earlier versions. At Whiskybase someone wrote " Lovely taste It is like the old version, very dark with lots of dark fruit, chocolat and soft spicy. A truly wonderfull dram. " It would be really interesting if you can agree with this one! Maybe Aberlour Destillery has reacted on your latest Aberlour review! Do you think that could be possible?
Hi Ralfy I know that you know a lot about all whiskys, but how do you think you would fair on a blind tasting, I used to do that with my father and he always enjoyed the challenge, and the whisky, he would take 5 attempts to get it right, and then would tell me what it wasn't, Regards Kevin
***** Ralfy dear malt mate. In case of blind tastings (BT) some of the malt marks would (might) be quite different..I mean, the influence of (very important) info placed on the labels is, no doubt about that, quite substantial (It certainly affects our expectations...etc.) and It would be interesting to see what happens when one compares (BT) malt marks with those un-blind for the same bottles. (cant wait to see the 500 and then..1000:-).
I didn't love the Revival, the bottle I had was intensely malty, to the point of being unpleasant. Don't know whether that was a dud bottle or not, but I much prefer the 12yo and the 18yo.
Ralphy just a few things... 1) Shouldn't you wait to talk after you've swallowed the whisky and perhaps let it finish for a few seconds? 2) Shouldn't you not hold the glass with you fingers as to not warm the glass and then the whisky? 3) What if you closed your eyes and had someone switch the glasses (of the whisky recently poured and the one sitting for half an hour) and then try them as to see if the difference is actually noticeable. Just pointing out things, hope it's not taken as me being snarky...certainly not my intention. Cheers
Sam Cox You do realise that isn't the first time Ralfy's sampled this, or any other reviewed whisky, ya know. Morever, enjoying whisky is a personal experience and everyone does it differently.. Out of habit, personal comfort and fundamentally enjoyment, it's not a scientific process ya know haha. Sláinte mhaith ☺️
Well, in this case I rather disagree - albeit with the disclaimer that I haven't tasted your particular bottle/batch of Parliament. :-) Imho it is one of the best standard 21 year old sherry malts available, and it has a great 48%. In Germany you get a bottle online for cheaper than 75 EUR/ 59 pounds, which is pretty inexpensive for any 21 y.o. nowadays, but especially if you compare it with the GD single casks. As for the development, there certainly is one, but I also had the vice-versa experience lately, the freshly opened was even better than the half full half year old bottle I got at home. For me, there is nothing obscure about it, but hey, maybe you just got a different batch? For me the 21 is a 90 score for sure + I rather find the 15 Revival overrated. I advise everyone to get themselves a bottle of this stuff, before GD raise its price to the likes of Highland Park 18 lately!
disagree there. the 15 Revival is the best value for money on the market,in my opinion better than any Whisky in the same category and age. let me explain: it is not 15 years old but older. GD was mothballed in 1996 and resumed production in 2002. that means every Revival until 2017 is older than 15 years. 2017 will be the year when the first REAL 15 years old will come out. opinions may differ but i will be stocking up some 15 yo Revivals until 2017.
It's hard to argue taste, so I am totally cool with your opinion! :-) But when what you say is true, why is it that the 12 year old Original I bought in 2012 does seem significantly younger + not as good? Why does it concern the 15 year old but not the 12 year old following your reasoning (mind you they are not allowed to mix younger with older spirit and call it 12 y.o.)? Edit: I looked it up in a whisky encyclopedia: Glendronach was closed for three years from 1995-97 due to overstock, but produced again for two years 1998-99 before it was mothballed 2000-2002 when production started under their new owners. These facts make it feasible, that nowadays 15 Revival is mostly 15 years old, but has been older (and better,some say, including Ralfy) in the past years. But look out for the upcoming years, when - for a period of about two years, your darling will be older again. Let's just hope they have enough quality casks and don't fool us with sherry finishing like they sometimes do with single casks: myannoyingopinions.com/2014/02/14/glendronach-confusion-single-cask/
Hogibaer hmm i only read 1996-2002. and good point about the 12. if its true then i must be wrong and the stockpiling wont be necessary. changes nothing the stuff is good value in the category of standard range sherry whiskies. that part about sherry finishing is interesting, will read up on it. i myself bought two single casks.
Hogibaer although there is one point id like to bring up. when you compare the colour of the 15,18 and 21 they all seem to have a very similar degree of darkness about them.the 15 even looks slightly darker than the 18. i must admit that i dont have the slightest clue about their vatting policy and what percentage of first fill/refill goes into each expression. about the article:if they move their whisky from sherry cask to sherry cask i dont care much. i wouldnt consider it finishing but rather "beefing up". as long as they state "matured exclusively in sherry casks" i am fine with it. i dont need to believe in that single mystic cask to enjoy a sherry monster.
This is a great dram , i have tried it many times and its really great whisky . 90+ points from my side . See other people’s review as well not only ralfy’s. He was mad on this tasting day
Biggest dislike of ralfy’s reviews from my side so far. giving it 85/100 is stupid itself . Ralfy were u mad this day ? Lol he must have had a bad day or he ate something really unpleasant to tongue before reviewing this whisky. I suggest u people not to trust on his every review . Trusting on one person’s review is stupid itself . Check other reviewers as well and listen to the mass . Listen to mass of people what they say better than listening to only one person. I have tasted this dram many times and its really a sherry bomb with well balanced smell and taste with 48% and just splash of water this goes so well . Its excellent dram which easily can take 91-92 point out of 100. i have seen a mass of 371 expert group of people rating it 4.5/5 which is really nice . Every reviewer u see except ralfy won’t rate it below 90/100 . This guy is really wrong here in term of rating this dram here. Now days its boring to see his reviews after seeing some stupid ratings like this on such a good whisky.
***** What about the Triple Wood, I've read it's supposed to be quite good. Also like to see what you think of the recent 10yo cask strengths. I've just managed to get my hands on one, it's hard to get in Aust, it's batch 6 and superb.
Ralfy, Do you offer Malt Mate diplomas to fans who have faithfully viewed every episode from the beginning? It may sound like I'm joking but, although I cannot afford a lot of single malts, about a dozen in the last four years, I find my knowledge of whisky is greater than many who should know better than I do. I have been a long term resident of the Manx Bothy and the Glasgow home of the Malt Mates before that. I would proudly wear a wool flat hat branded with "Ralfy Approved Single Malt" as a sign of my Malt journey.
I know this review is 6 years old, but the Glendronach 21 is 21 (actually 24) years old.. and so I have a right to say, your review gets a 34 out of 100. And that's for a bad malt review mark.
Sherry sherry and more sherry sour bitter and spirity...WoW! With accolades like that it would not surprise me one bit if/when the scotch producers (if they arent already doing it) begin filling their own proprietary new casks with a delicious sherry or port to use 3 or 4 years down the road. Is that not the solution to get it right the first time without having to do a little jig around 2 or 3 different casks??. Peace
I don't really care as long as it's delicious sherry. The traditional scotch whisky is sherry/wine cask matured and all this bourbon bonanza is basically fab from the 50's. I have been aware of the watering down of sherry whiskies for a while and have bought numerous bottles at once if it's good like the Glendronach 21.
PeatSmokey i agree with Maltfusion on this issue. if that is the only way they have left to produce good sherried Whisky so be it. same about their "Single Cask" policy. if they have to beef up with fresher cask let them. one thing is for sure :GD does produce good to great Sherry matured Whisky.
your comments on the wood influence are making me think that they will be further accentuated if even older whiskies are in the bottle. I'm talking about the 6 year gap that now applies to only the 21 year and will make it a 25 year old if bottled in 2020. Hmmmmm....
Sorry Ralfy, hard to get excited about a whisky you call obscure, except for a few of the standards most of what you review are obscure where I live. Now that is not a criticism mate, just an observation. Keep doing that Voodoo you do so well. Cheers
hi ralfy! do you have any plans for a review on the 27th of december? I am going to marry on this day and you would really make me happy if you did "malty married margaretes".
***** hello what would you compare this to the macallan 18 or ruby. looking for a whiskey for the holidays. This is a lot cheaper, older age. Currently comparing macallan 18, ruby, yamazaki 18, and glendronach 18 21 or 15. What you would recommend on a good bottle under 200? Thank you.
Beauty day ridin the ol Triumph Ralfy w/th crisp leavs fallen all aroun n th wind n your face duznt get much betr cept 2com home 2a dram or 3 of the beguiling Elmer T Lee. (Off th malt train 4a wile...duznt make much cents anymor) adios
Ralfy, the above 15 year old malts seem to be dry fly fishing of whisky. Is it me or are the older whiskies a lot more delicate that their younger brethern? Also, I love it when you do review Bourbon, especially the Rocktown review. I have an idea, I would love to see a joint Vlog with Yourself and Jason Pyle. Maybe he could review a malt and you a sourmash. It would be epic.
My bottle of Glendronach 21 Years Old Parliament is not sour in any way but totally delicious so not sure if you have a bad bottle.
Yes it is really great dram , his tongue was not good that day . Its 90+ points any day .
@@ghantakha5568 Yeah thats what I thought. Its one of my faveorite whiskies and noticeably better than the 15 or 18 to my palate! Thanks for your response......Slainte'
@ralfydorcom we need a re-review of this beauty.
Thanks for the Malt moment Ralfy.
The GD Parliment 21 is one of my most favourite sherry whiskys, I'm so glad you gave this one the time to overcome its initial monotone style, as most reviewers seam to not take the time this whisky needs. Once again you have shown you are a wise and sage man.
Peter Parker? ehm.
This is a great whiskey , i had glendronach 12 which is good whisky , 15 revival is nice but changed a bit over in past few years . And i tried this 21yo parliament and yeah its bit strong sipping neat , adding just few drops of water and letting it rest in glass 5 mins u will be nosing and tasting a really wonderful dram. Its great sipping whiskey easily 92/100 for me . Ralfy should review it again , he was wrong at scoring on this day.
Greeting Mr Ralfy, I want to buy this for my birthday, and I said to myself, "Where is better than Ralfy Whisky University?and gladly, I found this review. Considering its price now in 2024 for AU$300. The bottle shop also has a bundle option of 15,18, and 21 for $620, which is much less to buy them individually. So here I am , undecided, maybe Glenfarclas 17 or Deanston 12 or these. Very hard. Thank you for our go-to knowledge base as always.
I treated myself to a double GD21 in the George at Inveraray. Ooooft!! Hid the receipt from yon Mrs of mine. Delicious. Now I know to investigate the 15. Cheers Ralfy.
Malt mates,
Thought at 3:30 make sense, especially now, but do you really think that Glendronach was buying cheaper sherry casks made just for whisky 21+ years ago. Seems like the boom is on now, and distillers have to up production more from now on...
I did get a bottle of this a few weeks ago. Wanted to keep a great Glendronach around for a better day, if this is not it, is there an older or different bottling to look for? Love the 15 btw.
I don't know about this one Ralfy, it's one of the best whiskies I've ever had.
Yes it is great and it shouldn’t have been less than 90/100 . Ralfy being stupid he gave less point . Don’t trust on one person’s review see other people’s review as well . I have seen many giving this 21 year old 90+ points .
Same here. Absolutely brilliant whisky. One of the best, if not the best, I have ever had
What year was the one you had bottled? Anything over 2017 is different from the actual age stated. Like the 21yr bottled in 2019 is actual 24yrs old. This video is 6years old so this is probably 2014-2015 bottle
Ralfy. I almost always agree with your assessments. On this one you are wrong. 89/100
I'm just tasting a bottle of this in mid 2019 and have to say this vintage I have is the best Scotch I have ever tasted. Its an explosion of flavors in your mouth! Easily 94-97 in my book!
@@gman5986
I have tasted GlenDronach 18yo Allardice last edition in 2019.
An explosion of smells on the nose and flavors in the mouth, wave after wave of dried fruits, thick spices with ginger flavor, vanilla, dulce de leche, dark chocolate, sour cherries, raspberry jam, coffee, cloves and cinnamon. The flavors benefit enormously from alcohol bottled at 46% ABV and without cold filtration or artificial coloring.
I really believe that it is the best 18yo that I have tasted of recent editions.
I will try to capture another bottle if possible because this edition will run out quickly.
Regards
@@adriannudelman4519 Have you had the 21 yet? Another RUclipsr said he thinks the 18 is better. I'm need to get me some 18
@@gman5986
The 21yo has not tried it. They say it's a combination of 15yo and 18yo. The 21yo is a wonderful whiskey but much more expensive than the 18yo and the dif of maturation are only 3 years.
Regards 🍷🍷
Yup its easily 90+ points for me and many professionals gave it 92/93 as well . Don’t rely on ralfy’s reviews only
Can you please do a te-review of a 2019 botteling? Supposed to be older then 21 years, curious on your point of view.
. . . I will pop it on the List for later in the year.
@@thewhiskybothy Hi Ralfy - it's definitely later in the year :) There's also the 2021 bottling, supposedly 26 years old now... Would love to see you re-review!
The first time I tried GlenDronach was in a wonderful bar called Fidlers in Drumnadrochit - I essentially walked in and the bar man gave me a dram of it before I'd opened my mouth. It begun a memorable night where I sampled some fantastic drops. I've help GlenDronach in high regard ever since - it's all about the context, isn't it?
oxidizing and developement in the bottle yes... about 2,5 years ago i bought the Laddie Ten and i hated it with righteous fury. i did recognize the quality but the tasting notes were just not my thing. 2 weeks ago i re-tried it. the bottle sat in the cupboard being half full for over 2 years and it was amazing. being discontinued, i was fortunate enough to buy one last week in an obscure online shop.
85? We just had this in our whisky club and the consensus was somewhere around 89ish and I as a sherryfreak- chairman gave a healthy 93. Basically a budget whisky that gives you all the old whisky characteristics like fungus, cellar, moss, damp and mushrooms. I was shocked with the diminution of the 15yo quality last time I tasted but this thing is a belter and bought 5 bottles when they were on discount.
Maltfusion
This is easily 90+ for me , its great dram 21yo . ralfy was mistaken here
Is there any chance you can review the 18 yr Allardice? I know back at the time of this recording, you were not impressed. Would you be willing to give it another go? Thank you in advance
I just picked this up from Costco for $180, absolutely love it!!!
Nose - plums, sherry
Palate - sweet, a little spicy, alcohol burn - before water
Finish - citrus and dark chocolate
Let it sit open!!!
Is should have been 90+/100 points , i luved it too
I love the George Bowman Dark Colonial Rum because of the roasted and burnt sugar notes. I am wondering if there are any Scotches out there that have a similar profile. I get half way there with Craggamore 12 Y. Is there anything out there more roasted but not as peaty?
Love your work Ralfy! Merry Xmas from Down Under!!
Cheers Gregg
Ralfy,
As usual, insightful and informative. With the Glendronach you mentioned sherry. I was wondering if those single malts finished in Port casks had the same effect as does sherry? I happen to enjoy Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban quite a bit and have yet to open my Balvenie Portwood until I graduate from university next month so could you just comment on that briefly?
Mike
Frederick, Maryland USA
Hi Ralfy, i now visit my parents, they have a fireplace in their home: my Balvenie tastes a lot better to me now. I feel like a member of the " magic malt moment" club here in the black forrest!
You’re completely wrong on this one I’m afraid. Of course opinions are subjective but this is a fantastic whisky which deserves no less than an 90/100. Sherry matured, uncoloured, unchilfiltered, 48% abv, rich and complex... this is everything that a good whisky should be.
"I'm getting sherry" thanks for making me laugh like a loon on my train ride home...
Great review as usual, Ralfy! How about a tour of the bothy one of these days!
Don't know if it's available around you, or if it's exclusive to Denmark, but GD just made a 9 year old PX malt. It's 48%, and pretty good. A bit sharp, but not bad. Take a look at it, perhaps? We could easily arrange a passing on of a bottle.
Its great dram , easily 90+ point for this 21yo .
also considering aberlour abunadh and macallan cask strength. would you recommend cask strength over the others listed
Aberlour A'bunadh is one of my favorites. Delicious with water and will always be in my bar supplies permitting! Slainte!
You mentioned in an earlier review that you didn't want to review the Laphorig quarter cask because you thought you were going to be disappointed. Any chance of you elaborating on why, and any chance of you checking if you were right? ;) I'm relatively recent to whisky and I do like Laphroigs standard 10 year old, so it would be fun to know if the quarter cask is a good buy or not!
GlenDronach 21 is fantastic whisky. Disagree with Ralfy here
U r right , don’t trust his every review
this dram is fantastic!
Hello Ralfy, thank you for your fantastic reviews! Would love to hear your thoughts on the new Glendronach 8 Hielan.
Have u seen peatlova's review on this 21? They have a much different outcome than what you do. They actually put it thru a vigorous competition and this came on top...is it possible that there is an inconsistency from the manufacturer?
Hi Ralfy. dramming on the Ardmore Trad. Very well made malt.
Interestingly enough this AT has a quality of age to it.
Being NAS, is it within the realm of possibility that Ardmore uses older malts to get this profile?
Its got some notes here that one doesn't readily find in an 8-10yo be it.unpeated or not!
Thanks
I learned a lot from this review. thanks for your thoughts Ralfy....
Nice review why did you change the position of the "3 legs"
Anyone else wonder if Ralfy knows Peter Parker is Spiderman with the Malt Mention...
Ralfy would this be effective?
if casking our own single malt from new make (utilizing the 3L cask mini cask set we purchased from Wusmonds Distillery while visiting on holiday) packing it in or around a salty environment maybe setting the filled cask in a box 1/2 filled with salt - would that cask breath in the salt (for a pseudo marine quality) thus roughly giving it a version of some "Islay Sea notes"?? Good idea, bad idea or terrible idea....what do you think?? Its all alchemy anyway right?!
Thankyou
themaltbar can only try and see, I suspect you need a marine environment for better effect !
I think the difficulty for producers is the limited market for sherry worldwide. There are only a few countries where sherry is still a popular drink, so production volume is much lower than malt whisky. There just are not enough butts and hogsheads available for the Scotch trade and they have become very expensive. Rather than increase prices, distillers are tempted to using other ways of cask preparation to give a sherry effect. Unfortunately, these efforts do not mature the whisky as well as traditional sherry casks.
I quite like this one. It does smell like a bourbon, same thing happens with Auchentoshan Three Wood.
I think the quality of GD's standard range is declining slightly. They sold out so much in recent years, maybe they have to resort to heavier rerackingand coating.
Do you notice the same transformation without the addition of water? That is, if you poured a glass neat and then left it for 30 minutes, does it open up the same way?
Just curious as to how strong of a role the water plays in this.
Allurex opens more substantially when water is added.
Starting to get a bit nippy in the bothy Ralfy? Noticed the little burner in the corner :)
Glendronach 15 is one of my most loved single malts! Not sure if I go for the 21 y old which is double as expensive. Is it worth the price?
Ahhh just seen your comment at 14:00... I will stick on the 15 y old :) Thanks Ralfy!
Yes it is a great dram, u can get 21yo around 120£ in auction . Grab it n enjoy , u will love it
Love Glendronach
Great review and look for to the next
Funny, I liked Glendronach 12 more than Highland Park 12. Funny how individual our tastes really are. I'm getting a bottle of Yamazaki 18 for Christmas, any chance you'll do a review of that anytime?
oh yeah, double malt mention, #485. But hey even Spiderman needs a malt moment every now and then! here's a thought instead of a pricey bottle for x-mas how about a little craft still!
Ralfy have you tried the cask strength glendronach? Be interested to hear your thoughts as it's good value but is nas. Thanks pal
You are just having a bad day, this is the nectar of the Gods barr none.
This is no doubt a great whisky , he was mad on this day
I don't generally like sherried whiskies... I'm sipping on some Mohan Meakin's Solan Number One Full Bodied Malt Whisky from India bottled at 42.8%... It's good and cheap! I might go for a 10 or 12 year old Glendronach if it's matured in a bourbon cask :)
You know you have a trusting audience when you refer to something as "eau de cologne" and I still want to drink it. :)
He failed it here on this 21 yo great whisky
Is there truth to the legend of the ‘older than stated’ spirit in the bottle, Ralf?
You need to re-review this one. It is fantastic.
Hi Ralfy,thanks for the great review! What do you think of the 18 years? Currently i can find a lot 2018 version which over 22 years in it with a reasonable price 😂
This is his most stupid review so far , don’t trust his every review
Rally, why don’t you like the Glendronach 18
Thanks Ralfy, the Revival 15 years is on my short list :)
Hey Ralfy!
Donyou ever review travel retail aka Duty Free Whiskeys? Apparently some distileries make special bottlings just for Duty Free. And thats where I get most of my Single Malts :-D !
Ownedyou I don't fly much so rarely see what's on the shelves.
*****
E.g. a whole plethora of neatly packaged and marketed NAS Johnnie Walkers. All worth reviewing, if you ask... well, Johnnie Walker that would be. ;-)
very few are an improvement on the Black Label.
Great review Ralfy! Any plans to review another High West whiskey? Maybe the Rendezvous or the Campfire?
***** possibly next year !
Now while you review sherry monster... The latest version of Aberlour A'bunadh (Batch 49) is rated quite high in comparison to the earlier versions. At Whiskybase someone wrote
" Lovely taste
It is like the old version, very dark with lots of dark fruit, chocolat and soft spicy.
A truly wonderfull dram. "
It would be really interesting if you can agree with this one! Maybe Aberlour Destillery has reacted on your latest Aberlour review! Do you think that could be possible?
TheAngelos89 I will check it out.
what are tannens?
Hi Ralfy
I know that you know a lot about all whiskys, but how do you think you would fair on a blind tasting, I used to do that with my father and he always enjoyed the challenge, and the whisky, he would take 5 attempts to get it right, and then would tell me what it wasn't,
Regards
Kevin
I doubt I would be any more successful than anyone else ! blind tastings are always fun and usually very interesting to do !
***** Ralfy dear malt mate. In case of blind tastings (BT) some of the malt marks would (might) be quite different..I mean, the influence of (very important) info placed on the labels is, no doubt about that, quite substantial (It certainly affects our expectations...etc.) and It would be interesting to see what happens when one compares (BT) malt marks with those un-blind for the same bottles. (cant wait to see the 500 and then..1000:-).
I didn't love the Revival, the bottle I had was intensely malty, to the point of being unpleasant. Don't know whether that was a dud bottle or not, but I much prefer the 12yo and the 18yo.
Ralfy, this or the 18? or Aberlour 18? Thanks in advance, I need help with my financial decisions. :)
. . . Aberlour 18, good luck !
Ralphy just a few things...
1) Shouldn't you wait to talk after you've swallowed the whisky and perhaps let it finish for a few seconds?
2) Shouldn't you not hold the glass with you fingers as to not warm the glass and then the whisky?
3) What if you closed your eyes and had someone switch the glasses (of the whisky recently poured and the one sitting for half an hour) and then try them as to see if the difference is actually noticeable.
Just pointing out things, hope it's not taken as me being snarky...certainly not my intention.
Cheers
. . . I take your point, but I do have a routine based on habit and experience and tend to just go with it.
Sam Cox
1) Shouldn't you not tell a man how to drink his whisky?
asonuniq 😁 Exactly.
Sam Cox You do realise that isn't the first time Ralfy's sampled this, or any other reviewed whisky, ya know.
Morever, enjoying whisky is a personal experience and everyone does it differently.. Out of habit, personal comfort and fundamentally enjoyment, it's not a scientific process ya know haha. Sláinte mhaith ☺️
This is great whiskey and he is wrong at giving point here
But why have the kop over the hed of the glass? Why not only let it sitt open?
The glass who sit 30min+
Well, in this case I rather disagree - albeit with the disclaimer that I haven't tasted your particular bottle/batch of Parliament. :-)
Imho it is one of the best standard 21 year old sherry malts available, and it has a great 48%. In Germany you get a bottle online for cheaper than 75 EUR/ 59 pounds, which is pretty inexpensive for any 21 y.o. nowadays, but especially if you compare it with the GD single casks.
As for the development, there certainly is one, but I also had the vice-versa experience lately, the freshly opened was even better than the half full half year old bottle I got at home. For me, there is nothing obscure about it, but hey, maybe you just got a different batch? For me the 21 is a 90 score for sure + I rather find the 15 Revival overrated.
I advise everyone to get themselves a bottle of this stuff, before GD raise its price to the likes of Highland Park 18 lately!
disagree there. the 15 Revival is the best value for money on the market,in my opinion better than any Whisky in the same category and age. let me explain: it is not 15 years old but older. GD was mothballed in 1996 and resumed production in 2002. that means every Revival until 2017 is older than 15 years. 2017 will be the year when the first REAL 15 years old will come out. opinions may differ but i will be stocking up some 15 yo Revivals until 2017.
It's hard to argue taste, so I am totally cool with your opinion! :-)
But when what you say is true, why is it that the 12 year old Original I bought in 2012 does seem significantly younger + not as good? Why does it concern the 15 year old but not the 12 year old following your reasoning (mind you they are not allowed to mix younger with older spirit and call it 12 y.o.)?
Edit: I looked it up in a whisky encyclopedia: Glendronach was closed for three years from 1995-97 due to overstock, but produced again for two years 1998-99 before it was mothballed 2000-2002 when production started under their new owners. These facts make it feasible, that nowadays 15 Revival is mostly 15 years old, but has been older (and better,some say, including Ralfy) in the past years. But look out for the upcoming years, when - for a period of about two years, your darling will be older again. Let's just hope they have enough quality casks and don't fool us with sherry finishing like they sometimes do with single casks: myannoyingopinions.com/2014/02/14/glendronach-confusion-single-cask/
Hogibaer hmm i only read 1996-2002. and good point about the 12. if its true then i must be wrong and the stockpiling wont be necessary. changes nothing the stuff is good value in the category of standard range sherry whiskies. that part about sherry finishing is interesting, will read up on it. i myself bought two single casks.
Hogibaer although there is one point id like to bring up. when you compare the colour of the 15,18 and 21 they all seem to have a very similar degree of darkness about them.the 15 even looks slightly darker than the 18. i must admit that i dont have the slightest clue about their vatting policy and what percentage of first fill/refill goes into each expression.
about the article:if they move their whisky from sherry cask to sherry cask i dont care much. i wouldnt consider it finishing but rather "beefing up". as long as they state "matured exclusively in sherry casks" i am fine with it. i dont need to believe in that single mystic cask to enjoy a sherry monster.
This is a great dram , i have tried it many times and its really great whisky . 90+ points from my side . See other people’s review as well not only ralfy’s. He was mad on this tasting day
how gets ralfy the malt mentions
Random.
PeatSmokey watch!
m-m??
malty misguided malts ;)...
PeatSmokey now on the M-mention List !
***** ;) thanks Ralfy!
***** magnificent malt magistrates!
Biggest dislike of ralfy’s reviews from my side so far. giving it 85/100 is stupid itself . Ralfy were u mad this day ? Lol he must have had a bad day or he ate something really unpleasant to tongue before reviewing this whisky. I suggest u people not to trust on his every review . Trusting on one person’s review is stupid itself . Check other reviewers as well and listen to the mass . Listen to mass of people what they say better than listening to only one person. I have tasted this dram many times and its really a sherry bomb with well balanced smell and taste with 48% and just splash of water this goes so well . Its excellent dram which easily can take 91-92 point out of 100. i have seen a mass of 371 expert group of people rating it 4.5/5 which is really nice . Every reviewer u see except ralfy won’t rate it below 90/100 . This guy is really wrong here in term of rating this dram here. Now days its boring to see his reviews after seeing some stupid ratings like this on such a good whisky.
i'm totally confused ... ummm ... is it scotch or sherry?
Too deep for you:) lol
Sorry for nitpicking, but there's no apostrophe in the word "its".
Ralfy,
Any plans to review the 25 yr old Cask Strength Laphroaig?
stingfan24 none, too expensive.
***** What about the Triple Wood, I've read it's supposed to be quite good. Also like to see what you think of the recent 10yo cask strengths. I've just managed to get my hands on one, it's hard to get in Aust, it's batch 6 and superb.
plans in place for next year !
Malt Mention: Master of Magical Mistery Tours :)
+Chaz Rollazz . . . thanks, now on the M-mention list.
Fantastic!
50 year old for #500? Put it on kickstarter for funding. I'm 99% sure you'll get it, cuz you deserve it!
I hear around the grape vine that is might be going away. Shame that. I trust Glendronach to not bring something overpriced and overhyped.
for Whisky Review 500 - St Magdalene! what do you say Ralfy
Ralfy,
Do you offer Malt Mate diplomas to fans who have faithfully viewed every episode from the beginning? It may sound like I'm joking but, although I cannot afford a lot of single malts, about a dozen in the last four years, I find my knowledge of whisky is greater than many who should know better than I do. I have been a long term resident of the Manx Bothy and the Glasgow home of the Malt Mates before that. I would proudly wear a wool flat hat branded with "Ralfy Approved Single Malt" as a sign of my Malt journey.
antipodesman . . . thank you for your patience and perseverance, you probably now know more about whisky than some who work in the Industry !
I know this review is 6 years old, but the Glendronach 21 is 21 (actually 24) years old.. and so I have a right to say, your review gets a 34 out of 100. And that's for a bad malt review mark.
I really prefer complexity and subtlety to Sherry Bombs. This is why I stay away from Macallan except for their Fine Oak series.
Oh My god, what an excellent review! Well done! I learned loads from your video. Thank you!
He is stupid to rate it 85/100 for such a good whisky , don’t trust him
I don’t agree with you Ralfy. This is a very good whisky.
Sherry sherry and more sherry sour bitter and spirity...WoW!
With accolades like that it would not surprise me one bit if/when the scotch producers (if they arent already doing it) begin filling their own proprietary new casks with a delicious sherry or port to use 3 or 4 years down the road.
Is that not the solution to get it right the first time without having to do a little jig around 2 or 3 different casks??.
Peace
Otherwise why wouldnt "they" be 'proactive' and want to play catch-up and hope-fors in regards to certified matured sherry casks??...puzzling.
I don't really care as long as it's delicious sherry. The traditional scotch whisky is sherry/wine cask matured and all this bourbon bonanza is basically fab from the 50's. I have been aware of the watering down of sherry whiskies for a while and have bought numerous bottles at once if it's good like the Glendronach 21.
PeatSmokey i agree with Maltfusion on this issue. if that is the only way they have left to produce good sherried Whisky so be it. same about their "Single Cask" policy. if they have to beef up with fresher cask let them. one thing is for sure :GD does produce good to great Sherry matured Whisky.
Ralf is big time wrong on his malt mark. 85 is a joke. This has to be at the very least a 90 or 91. Ralfy being a snob.
U r correct this is a great whiskey and he was mad on this day .
your comments on the wood influence are making me think that they will be further accentuated if even older whiskies are in the bottle. I'm talking about the 6 year gap that now applies to only the 21 year and will make it a 25 year old if bottled in 2020. Hmmmmm....
Sorry Ralfy, hard to get excited about a whisky you call obscure, except for a few of the standards most of what you review are obscure where I live. Now that is not a criticism mate, just an observation. Keep doing that Voodoo you do so well. Cheers
92/100
Absolutely
Sorry, just found review 409
You help us to save a lot of money, Thank u very much, "maltied señor del whisky", there goes my maltied mention, :D
zeusminator . . . now on the M-mention list !
***** Thank you Ralfy
Buy it mate 21yo is greatest among glendronach core range. Don’t trust his review .
Hopefully ur enjoying yourself today I'll be doing much better once American football starts go Buffalo Bills! Do you ever watch American football?
very rarely . . . not big where I am !
Buy the 15 its awesome n dont bitch you cant get this juice we cant get 95% of bourbons produced such is life
I have to admit that I too wasn't really impressed with this version. I enjoyed the 15 yo more.
Not first
hi ralfy! do you have any plans for a review on the 27th of december? I am going to marry on this day and you would really make me happy if you did "malty married margaretes".
Rainer Brunn now on the M-mention list !
*****
wow! thank you ralf!
***** hello what would you compare this to the macallan 18 or ruby. looking for a whiskey for the holidays. This is a lot cheaper, older age. Currently comparing macallan 18, ruby, yamazaki 18, and glendronach 18 21 or 15. What you would recommend on a good bottle under 200?
Thank you.
rivan paulos
hi rivan! do you really ask me? sure ralfy´s reply would be a lot more reliable;-)
Beauty day ridin the ol Triumph Ralfy w/th crisp leavs fallen all aroun n th wind n your face duznt get much betr cept 2com home 2a dram or 3 of the beguiling Elmer T Lee. (Off th malt train 4a wile...duznt make much cents anymor)
adios
Radio Laboratory good luck with the fund raising for malt-moments !
***** funystuf :) ..that's wat it'l take sumtymz- rite!
Ralfy, the above 15 year old malts seem to be dry fly fishing of whisky. Is it me or are the older whiskies a lot more delicate that their younger brethern? Also, I love it when you do review Bourbon, especially the Rocktown review.
I have an idea, I would love to see a joint Vlog with Yourself and Jason Pyle. Maybe he could review a malt and you a sourmash. It would be epic.
Second
First
. . . verified first !
Thanks for the review Ralfy. But I will give this whisky a miss
Grab it , its a great whisky 21yo
First