The first version of the Allardice was released alongside the 15 year old Revival. Most people preferred the Revival for its ridiculous amount of sherry cask influence. And at 15 years in such an active butt the stuff is almost black and thick with syrupy sweet goodness.

The 18, however, was a bit more subtle with just a tad less sherry influence. This is kind of strange, taking in mind that both whiskies are matured in the same style of cask.

Allardice is named after James Allardice, by the way. He’s the man that founded the distillery in 1826 in the Scottish Highlands.

GlenDronach Allardice 18yo

Sniff:
Really heavy on the sherry as expected, with lots of oak and tropical fruit. There’s a slight note of spices and this all makes it a very typical GlenDronach (which is a very good thing). Compared to the 15 the sherry flavours are kept in check a wee bit more, and there’s more spices and more fruit.

Sip:
Gentle with fruit, fruit cake and dried apricots and plums. Candied fruit as well, with allspice and some white pepper. It gets a bit dry with a touch of wood at the back.

Swallow:
The finish goes back to the layer upon layer of sherry. There’s lots of character which shows in the rich fruits and spices. Especially the gentle allspice is really nice. Not incredibly long.

I guess I’m going against the grain by liking this one more than the 15 year old. The 15 is stunning, but this whisky has a bit more complexity and especially more spices and a more clear oak influence.

GlenDronach Allardice, 18yo, 46%. This comes in really cheap at € 55 from Master of Malt

Thanks to Joe ‘Whisky Wednesday’ Ellis for the sample!