I Found The GLENDRONACH 15 REVIVAL By Accident!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
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I was rummaging through my bar when I realized I had a bottle of the Glendronach 15 Revival tucked away in the back. So I just had to make a video about it !
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 INTRO
00:45 INITIAL THOUGHTS
05:52 THE TASTING
10:01 FINAL RANT
"whiskey", "types of whiskey", "whiskey brands", "whiskey production", "whiskey history", "whiskey tasting notes", "whiskey recipes"
Great find partner. I still have one unopened bottle of the old Revival in the bunker. I kept it there for a rainy day so think I'll crack it before too long. I remember the 18 Allardice from that period was also very good too. Actually, everything they did back then was amazing. I had a single cask PX 13 which was too good to be true. They had a stunning 12 year fully matured in Chateau d'Yquem sauternes. Benriach were really rocking as well. The Billy Walker years were a riot and that, my friends, is sadly no more.
I hear your pain my friend and I agree. It's not just whisky either is it? It's virtually everything. Even our Governments are run on a business model by cretins that would never have been politicians 50 years ago. I started drinking single malt in 1988 when I was 19 and caught on some old school stuff like Macallan, Port Ellen and Laphroaig. I wasn't a whisky freak like now but was a single malt purist. Jeez, we were an underground movement back then. The folk you knew that were part of us could be counted on one hand. There are dogshit adverts on tv now telling people to invest in whisky casks to people that don't even know what whisky tastes like. I love how Billy Walker got his stuff and sold it unlike planning a fucking futures portfolio. (He still made good money.)
Great review my friend. Enjoy. WT
Man I remember the older Glendronachs -- so amazing. Their older Cask Strength series was sublime. I was lucky enough to taste Batch 1 onwards. While I had a rocky start with Benriach I came around to loving them. All thanks to Billy Walker of course. I managed to get hold of some excellent single casks as well from back in the day. All sublime. But I guess those days are long gone.
I have a 2014 bottle and a 2020 bottle of GD15, but it's a small moment of happiness when you rediscover a whisky gem in your stash.
True True !
@MA: one of your comments is speculation as to the possibility of some travel casks being involved in this GD15. Travels casks ended when Spanish law required all sherry to be bottled in Spain, and that was the early-1980s. So no, I do not think it at all likely that GD or other distilleries had access to travel casks in the mid-1990s. At best they would be second- and third-fill, by then.
Many people comment on the lack of demand for sherry wines leading to lower-quality casks being available for whiskies. But the casks used for whiskies are *very seldom* the same casks used in sherry soleras. For one they'd be far too expensive. In the past it was travel casks that were used--casks specifically for use in shipping sherry to e.g. the UK for bottling there, prior to the early-1980s. Those were *different* casks from the ones used in the sherry soleras themselves. So those casks were not too different from the casks used today for "seasoning" with e.g. Oloroso sherry, except that those sherries are seldom then bottled as sherry but instead mostly are later converted into things like sherry vinegar. There are a very few exceptions where distilleries purchase ex-solera casks. One example of that is Kilchoman, who claim they use only ex-solera casks. Also sometimes distilleries use less-common (for whisky) sherry cask types, e.g. Palo Cortado, etc., which are unlikely to be part of the sherry vinegar and sherry-seasoning-for-whisky production line.
So there will always be plenty of ex-Oloroso (& other) "sherry seasoned" casks for most of the whisky industry, so long as whisky distilleries are willing to pay for such.
There may be other reasons for a decline in the quality of ex-sherry casks used for whisky, such as corporate cost-cutting, etc., but the apocalyptic vision of the end of sherry sales spelling the end of sherry-influenced whiskies is not one.
The whiskynotes dot be website has a useful in-depth article (pdf) about sherry and whisky.
Thank you so much for this detailed piece of information. I'll look up whisky notes !
Oh, I am so jealous! This is a great find 👍
If you allow me, the reason that Glendronach removed the "non chill filtered" from the box is not that they have changed the process and they chill filter their whisky now. The reason is that the new owners are a member of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and the way that Glendronach filters their whisky does not 'match' with SWA's rule for the 'non chill filtered' label. When Glendronach was at Billy Walker's hands, it was not a SWA member.
Would be nice and interesting to see that version with a latest version as a comparison. I have not tried the latest version. I believe they will be completely different 🙂
You should at least reference Dramface for that info 😉 Look, I completely agree with Ralfy about this. You either chill-filter or you don't. If you don't you can put it on the bottle like other distilleries which are part of the SWA do. Don't believe the bullshit from Brown Forman. Just take a look at what they've done to Benriach which is a shadow of it's former superb self. Same thing is happening to Glendronach. They sell their old stock in expensive single casks for top dollar instead of continuing the tradition of top dressing their age statements. It's why none of the new expressions taste anywhere near as good. Removing the filter statement is the thin end of the wedge. Lets see if they have the balls to publicly announce they will never lower the abv below 46% at some point in the future when they may market Glendronach against expensive sherry competition like Dalmore or Macallan - both chill-filtered and below 46%. Removing the filtration statement was either a PR disaster or something they were advised to do by the legal suits because they have plans for the future.
@@welshtoro3256 What Dramface ( 😉😁 ) says is that they were always kind of chill filter their whisky but in a way that they could write the NCF on the packet. This is my understanding.
I totally agree with you and for sure I dont know what they are planning to do with the ABV. If I remember correctly, Glendronach's response to Ralfy what that they removed the NCF to give them flexibility, not that they Chill Filter. For me that response was... a bit like saying that probably in the future we will drop the high ABV. It would not surprise me since prices go up. I dont know. I think I would really like to believe Dramface, since Glendronach is one of my favourite distilleries.
I'm going to try and get my hands on a new bottle and do a H2H
@@MaltActivist Looking forward to that 👍
Nice review and look back at the industrty as well. I'd love to try that version. Beautiful color as well. I feel the same way as you, many reasons behind it of course and you named some of them. Properly good sherry casks are like hens teeth. Nobody drinks sherry anymore so I think sometimes the casks are just plain substandard. I have some older Highland Park releases, 12, 15, 16, 18, 25, and the difference sometimes to the current versions is staggering! An early 12 year old is hands down better then the current 18. Shocking. Thankfully there are exceptions and thankfully I still have some old stuff to drink as well 😀 Slainte!
You're right! Thank heavens for the old stuff!
You have a great bottle there! I've got some '14 and '15s and even a bottle of the 1st run batch L 03 04 09. Also your bottle most likely had a mix of barrels like you said from '96 and earlier. The last cask filled was on Feb 23, 1996 so only 2 months of production that year. I'd skip purchasing the new Revival. It's just not the same and I think you'll be disappointed. Edradour is now my go to for all things sherry. Cheers sir!
Thanks for the info Travis. I've managed to locate a 2022 Revival and looking forward to doing a head 2 head soon.
Fantastic review of a fantastic whisky. Well done 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻
Glad you enjoyed it
Exactly well put. They were just focused on putting out great whisky. Cheers you lucky dog 🤙🥃
Thanks 👍
Now that’s what I call a nice find. It’s a bit scratched but looks like my bottle is from 2012 but I know that I bought it in 2015 and for less than €50. Still closed after all this time though. As always an enjoyable and good video. Slàinte MA 🥃.
Thank you David !!
my favourite whisky !!! trying to find those flavours in Glenallachie whiskies
That's probably the best way I think
MY go to whisky!!
What a dram!
A terrific whisky
Absolutely
is there anything else that's better than this in this price point? My buddy just got this and we hang out a lot so i kind of want to get somethinf different
hello?!!? no wonder no one subs to you! You don't answer any questions or interact with your subs/viewers 😂
I actually reply to every single comment on my channel
Great whisky at a great price point (if you can find it)