The Glendronach distillery’s history stretches back nearly 200 years. The site has been producing whisky on and off since 1826, surviving numerous owners and mothballing ventures.
Having been acquired by BenRiach in 2008, the BenRiach Distillery Company was then purchased by the huge Brown-Forman group also including the Glenglassaugh distillery.
Throughout its history, the Glendronach (with or without a capitalised “D”) have had a focus on Sherry cask maturation, and have built a reputation on rich flavoured age statement releases. Following a sleek rebrand last summer, the current line-up centres around the classic 3 year milestones of 12yo, 15yo, and 18yo.
The 12yo is a combination of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry cask aged spirit, presented at its natural colour and without chill-filtration. The final bottle is captured at 43% ABV and currently retails for around £50 per 70cl bottle.
Nose
What a classic Sherry nose. It’s what we came here for. Raisins. Orange. Cranberries. Drying oak. Cinnamon spice / hot cross buns.
Taste
A full mouth coating arrival of Christmas cake flavours, oak spice, and a boozy tingle. A red fruity burst of cherries and berries. Cinnamon, clove, and ginger spices.
Finish
A decent length to the finish with raisin fruitiness and fresh ginger and black peppery heat.
Verdict
I can see why it’s got its reputation. I first became aware of The Glendronach a few years ago when looking to buy a gift for a friend and the whisky shop had just received stock of the Allardice 18yo and Parliament 21yo. While they were bigger age statements than we were aiming for, they still proved very reasonable prices compared to the bigger name brands on the shelves. Since then I’ve become more and more aware of the name for its classically sherry aged single malts. Certainly more affordable than your Macallans – up to a point – and just as Sherry-focussed.
Despite being the opening gambit this 12yo displays a fine spirit and cask influence. It has a real quality feel to it. It has a good body and warmth to it. The 43% seems spot on too. Keeping to 40% would take away from the experience but 46% (and oh how much the whisky fanatics seem to love that percentage) and I think the spiciness would become too much. It already has a decent bite to it.
The recent rebrand of their bottles was launched with legendary photographer Rankin. Whilst I thought the 00s branding was classic in style, the new look has more of a contemporary version of what looks premium. Whilst they’ve dropped the names of the older expressions and the 21yo Parliament, it does look more sleek, and I imagine they’ll make some big releases next year for their 200th celebrations.
Overall, a lovely complex fruity number and much robust than you might expect for an opening entry to a distillery’s roster.
M
Dram disclosure: This sample was received as part of the Master of Malt Pour & Sip paid subscription service. All notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky, and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
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