Vintage 1993 Archives - The Distillates

Tag: Vintage 1993

Glendronach 1993 20 Year Sherry Butt #3 52.9%

Nose: Gooey dried prunes, bazooka joe’s grape bubblegum, black tea, apricot jam, black licorice.

Palate: Cranberry-raspberry fruit leather, takes an herbal / ricola bent, and then nice finish of leather, chocolate covered espresso beans, prunes. I used to make an orange juice, worcestershire, red wine, garlic and ginger reduction, which I would then baste and BBQ my salmon with. Mic drop.

Rating: 6 (Ryan) 7 (Shane) / 10 – this is damn delicious although the herbal note on a big sip is a doozie. Might be a love hate thing.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 1993 20 Year Oloroso Sherry Butt #491 54.2%

Nose: Milk chocolate fudge, dark dates, carmelized figs, subtle nods to Dr. Pepper, slightly nutty almonds/walnuts, balsamic vinegar.

Palate: Strong black pepper, worstershire, cracked pepper crusted steak, goes herbal almost veering into bitter, notes from the nose on a big sip, hint of industrial rubber

Rating: 6 (Shane) 5 (Ryan) / 10 – weird but fun.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 1993 24 Year Sherry Butt #668 59.7% for Hong Fu Taiwan

Nose: Milk chocolate, wool sweater someone smoked pipe tobacco in, biltong, hazelnut, pistachio gelato, dill.

Palate: Full on savory, pistachio encrusted filet mignon, ryan says beef wellington, black pepper oloroso pan sauce.

Rating: 9 (Shane) 8 (Ryan) / 10 – this threads the needle on a full on savory meat bomb without going sulfur in the least.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 1993 16 Year #538 Oloroso Sherry Butt 61% for Whisky Live Tokyo Japan

Nose: Mushrooms, chocolate, muscovado sugar, strawberry balsamic reduction, pomegranate, luxardo cherries, dr pepper rib sauce, white pepper

Palate: Star of anise, cloves, strawberry balsamic all the way

Rating: 9 / 10 – hot damn this is something special. Complex and decadent. Also important note, there is a #538 Glendronach 1995 PX 19 Year Old. How they have the same cask number with an oloroso and a px baffles me. But be careful when you shop and check the full details before assuming you just wont a favorite bottle at auction.

Tasting Note

Shane

Appleton Estate 29 Years 1993/2022 Rum Hearts Collection 63%

Nose: Wintergreen lifesavers, haribo gummybears, hazelnut, orange peel, prune juice, diesel fumes.

Palate: Strong wood forward tannins, slightly herbal, overaged/steeped black tea, orange peel, anise/clove.

Rating: 6 / 10 – it’s like a cognac or guyana on steroids. While I like all the notes (even the herbal) it’s just turned up too loud and I’m overwhelmed.

Tasting Note

GlenDronach 1993 19 Year #12 Oloroso Sherry Butt 53.7% for LMDW & The Nectar

Nose: Flat Dr. Pepper, dates, pistachio cookies, prunes, panettone

Palate: Leather, spicy, cough syrup on the “good” end of the spectrum–grenadine / luxardo cherry, a turkish twist to a british Christmas pudding with rose water, pistachios, dates and cardamom, walnut bitters, awesome drying leathery tannic finish. Espresso beans in dark chocolate, leaf tobacco and black licorice

Rating: 8 / 10 – this is a beautiful bruiser of a sherried pour. Oh GlenDronach how we have missed you in our lineup!

Tasting Note

GlenDronach 1993 25 Year #6250 54% for Taiwan

Nose: Pineapple upside down cake, maple frosted shortbread cookie, almond tree in bloom, acetone

Palate: Almond biscotti, apricot black tea, very tannic, vanilla extract, all spice

Rating: 6 / 10

Tasting Note

Shane

Domaine Marquestau 1993 44.5%

Nose: I have a secret fondness for a roy rogers. Cherry coke is good, perhaps the best coke, but there is something tantalizing to the pomegranate note that grenadine lends to the mix. This nose is a walking base line. Tree bark. Blackberry bramble. Pomegranate pips on butter cream chocolate frosting. Fennel bulb.

Palate: The tart burst of pomegranate juice. Warm hazelnut spread. Bourbon vanilla. Hints of star anise, nutmeg and cloves. What a phenomenal balance, with a strong oak character that never steps on the fruit. Finish carries on, warm and woody for minutes.

Rating: 7 / 10 – This is delicious. And so so well integrated. Every note is enjoyable and punches way above its ABV.

Tasting Note

Glendronach “Black Pearl” 19 Year 1993 Sherry Butt #1616 59.2%

Nose: Dr. pepper/mr. pibb, chocolate, umami, sweet, leather, almond, coffee cake, pomegranate.

Palate: Everything from the nose and so much more. No point in repeating the same words.

Rating: 9 / 10 – hits every part of the tongue. Complex and insane. If it weren’t for a fleeting deeply intense herbal note, this might be a 10. But that is a personal preference and not a flaw. I have gone out and acquired two bottles since taking this note.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 20 Year 1993 Oloroso Sherry Butt #1626 54.6% for Taiwan Exclusive

Nose: Date nuggets, hoisin sauce, cloves. espresso chocolate-coated bean.

Palate: Plums, salt, acidity, umami, toasted figs … wow wow

Rating: 8 / 10 – this is exceptional… it’s so damn close to a 9, if only the finish held a touch more of the syrupiness.

Tasting Note

Glendronach 21 Year 1993 Oloroso Butt #6 52.3%

Nose: Brown sugar, stone fruit, monkey bread, Kouign-amann, cloves.

Palate: Red vines, cloves, full on juicy fruit sweetness but the finish has a slight Asprin note that detracts from the moment.

Rating: 6 / 10

Tasting Note

Glendronach 21 year 1993 Oloroso Cask 626 45.7%

Nose: Fig jam, dates, stewed prunes, pink peppercorn, teriyaki sauce, almonds, vanilla bean wafers

Palate: Soft prunes, luden’s wild cherry lozenges, tobacco leaf, salted licorice, sweet chili biltong, the teriyaki umami factor nicely tampers down the sweet

Rating: 8 / 10 – from beginning to end, everything is aligned and consistent, a truly lovely experience. God we’ve missed you Glendronach ‘93!