Whisky Focus - GlenDronach Awards Scottish Fields 2013 Whisky Challenge

Two GlenDronach single malts have won a total of four awards in Scottish Field’s 2013 "Whisky Challenge".

The 21 year-old ‘Parliament’ won three prestigious awards – Whisky of the Year, Distillery Bottling of the Year and Gold in the £40-£80 category – while GlenDronach’s Cask Strength Batch 2 took Silver in the same group.

This continues the Aberdeenshire distillery’s success in the annual competition, for last year a 1990 single cask bottling also won three top awards.

Now in its thirteenth year, the Challenge has an outstanding reputation industry-wide for its credibility and quality.

‘Parliament’ is matured in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for a minimum of 21 years and bottled at 48% vol. Interestingly, the name has nothing to do with politics; this exceptional single malt is named after the collective term for a flock of rooks which nest in the trees around the distillery in Forgue.

Non-chill filtered and of natural colour, it offers an incredible concentration of aromas. Darren Leitch, one of this year’s judges, highlights Parliament’s "good depth and balance with really nice spices – cloves, tangerines and a bit of ginger."

It has many admirers worldwide and one comment, from an American customer, sums up Parliament’s unique appeal.

"Without question, it’s the single greatest thing I’ve ever drunk under any capacity. If I were stranded in the desert, seconds from death, I would choose a sip of this whisky over gallons of water."

Cask Strength Batch 2 followed up GlenDronach’s critically-acclaimed first batch of cask strength single malt. Also matured in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, Batch 2 was bottled at 55.2% and comprised 16,500 bottles. Mark Angus, another of the judges, describes this special malt as having: "A huge burst of chilli and pepper, sweet honey through to a vanilla toffee finish".

Cask Strength batch 3 was released earlier this month, another truly delicious sherried Highland single malt.

GlenDronach Sales Director Alistair Walker said: "These were the only two expressions we entered in the competition this year, so we couldn’t have done any better!

"We’re especially pleased to win the Whisky of the Year award because it means that Parliament is the best of the best. The awards are important to us because they represent a highly credible guide to Scotland's top whiskies as well as being an event that’s eagerly awaited by connoisseurs and whisky enthusiasts alike."
 

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