Glendronach 12-year-old ‘Sherry Casks’

Bought – Online Whisky Auction, 31st October 2013

One of the things about buying whisky at auction is that you can’t always be sure what you’re getting. I mean this in two senses, firstly that you rarely get all the details about the bottle’s age and origin, and secondly you might be getting a Wolfburn in Sheep Dip’s clothing. That is to say, you can’t be 100% certain that the whisky inside the bottle matches the label on the outside. Nevertheless, I thought if I bought wisely, and cheaply, an auction would be good fun.

I bought this miniature along with another 12yo Glendronach, the ‘Original’ version. Plenty of reviews exist for the Original but I struggled to find anything about this ‘matured in sherry casks’ edition. But I did find a ‘sold out’ 75cl bottle on Master of Malt’s website where they used to sell it for £148.50. Unfortunately there were no reviews but its description was “the 12yo expression of Glendronach is increasingly well-regarded by experts and like its 15yo older brother, this is a complex and involving whisky.” Unfortunately it’s also evaporating so I better drink it soon before it goes completely!

Glen Orchy 5-year-old (Lidl)

Bought – Lidl, 31st October 2013

Ratings:
80.5/100 – Whisky Bible 2013 (doesn’t state age)

A top tip from my cousin, probably the greatest whisky collector in Somerset. He’d tried the Glen Orchy from his local Lidl and enjoyed it. Time for me to pick up a bottle! The review in the Whisky Bible 2013 doesn’t state the age of the Glen Orchy so I’m wondering if it used to be NAS and has now changed. I’ll be interested to see if ‘5yo’ is mentioned for the Glen Orchy in the 2014 bible edition.

I must confess, I’m a sucker for a bottle with an interesting shape and the angles on the Glen Orchy certainly do it for me!

(Update – 7^th January 2014) – The Whisky Bible 2014 has arrived and Jim Murray has given this Glen Orchy 5-year-old 88.5/100. An excellent mark. He says of the taste “superb, mouth-watering gristy sugars.” And finishes with “excellent malt plus very decent casks equals light-bodied fun”. In the same bible, Johnnie Walker Red Label gets a point less with 87.5/100. Clearly the Glen Orchy 5yo can hold a candle to the bigger names in blended Scotch, as well as beat them for price!

Lochlan 8-year-old

Bought – Tesco, 31st October 2013

Ratings:
79/100 – Reviewer on Whiskyconnosr

This blend has been teasing me on its shelf at my local Tesco for several months now. There’s not a lot of review information about it on the internet but what I could find seemed very positive. Created by Whyte and Mackay specifically for Tesco, the general consensus is that it’s very good for a budget blend.