The location
Glendronach lies close to Forgue in Aberdeenshire in the Scottish Highland region. The distillery is about 56 km away from Aberdeen and 13 km away from the small town of Huntly. As a Highland distillery, Glendronach is located in Scotland’s largest whisky region. Highland whiskies are known for their individuality and can differ greatly from each other in character. That’s why general statements are somewhat difficult to make – there’s only one thing you can do: Try them!
The history of Glendronach
Glendronach is one of many old Scottish distilleries. The company was founded in 1826 by James Allardes (also known as “Allardice”) in partnership with several farmers and businessmen and became one of the first licensed distilleries in Scotland.
While the distillery was running profitably during the first few years, the owners changed multiple time. One change of owners was caused by a fire that destroyed the distillery almost completely and forced James Allardice into bankruptcy. After Walter Scott took over Glendronach, he not only renovated the distillery but also expanded the success of the brand. In 1860, Glendronach paid the largest amount of taxes of all the distilleries in the Highland region. At this time, around 50 people lived on the estate, including workers and their families.
In 1920, the story continues in an interesting way: This is the year in which William Grant’s youngest son bought the distillery. William Grant & Sons had already built a name for itself with the foundation of Glenfiddich. 40 years later, Glendronach was bought by another family business. This time it was Teachers & Sons, the producer of the traditional Teacher’s Whisky. During this time, the distillery was expanded by four additional stills.
In 1996, Glendronach had to shut down and wasn’t reopened until 2001 when the Allied Distillers became interested in the distillery. After, the company was first sold to Chivas Regal and then it later became part of BenRiach. Today, both BenRiach and Glendronach are owned by the international conglomerate Brown-Forman.
Glendronach products
The core assortment of Glendronach includes single malts with an age of 8 -21 years, as well as a peated whisky without an age statement. However, there are many other products beyond this core range that are worth trying, including more than a dozen limited bottlings with an age of up to 28 years. Glendronach whiskies are typically matured in sherry casks, and some whiskies also receive a second maturation which can take place in port casks or Sauternes casks.
Glendronach at Gustero
Here at Gustero, we offer dozens of excellent Highland whiskies, including a selection of great Glendronach whiskies. Try, for example, the classic Glendronach Original 12 Year Old Single Malt Sherry Cask Whisky for a perfect introduction to the character of the brand. Or how about a single malt in cask strength? The Glendronach Cask Strength is released in different, individual bottlings and therefore offers a lot of variety. Try a bottle of this Highland whisky now and discover the aroma of the traditional distillery yourself!
