Glendronach – Ode to the Valley (70cl, 46.2%)

This is a Highland single malt whisky from GlenDronach, part of the Master's Anthology series. It combines GlenDronach's sherry cask style with maturation in Ruby Port casks from the Portuguese Douro Valley. The combination of the two cask types gives a fruit-forward character with berry notes. Summer berries, blackberries and plums shape the profile, alongside milk chocolate, Demerara sugar and apricot glaze, baked apple and gingerbread, with fine spice and balanced oak. It has natural colour, is not chill-filtered and is bottled at 46.2% vol in 0.7-litre bottles. The nose brings late-ripening summer berries with milk chocolate, Demerara sugar and apricot glaze. The palate shows blackberries and plums beside baked apple crumble and fresh gingerbread. The finish is long, with ripe berries, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar.