GlenDronach – Ode to the Embers (70cl, 48.4%)

Ode to the Embers is a peated single malt from The Glendronach, bottled at 48.4% in a 70cl bottle. It belongs to The Master's Anthology, a collection built around sherry cask maturation. The whisky pairs peat smoke with a majority of Oloroso sherry casks, which bring spiced complexity, and the distillery's Pedro Ximénez casks. It recalls the days when malt kilns wrapped barley in warm smoke. The nose offers cinnamon toffee, apple, caramelised walnut brittle and flamed orange. On the palate come raisin, honeyed walnut, bramble ganache and smoked chocolate fudge. The colour is a deep, smouldering amber.