Nestled in the valley of Forgue, deep in the East Highland hills, is the GlenDronach distillery. As one of the oldest distilleries in Scotland they’ve created the finest richly-sherried Single Malts for nearly 200 years, revered by connoisseurs around the globe.
GlenDronach is now also available to the whisky connoisseur in South Africa.
Stewart Buchanan, the GlenDronach Global Brand Ambassador. Picture: Peter Sandground
The GlenDronach is of true Highland style: a heavy and robust spirit, perfect for long maturation period in sherry casks.
At the GlenDronach Distillery, they’ve carried forth the tradition of the founder James Allardice since 1826, maturing their whisky in the finest Spanish sherry casks from Andalucía.
The distillery was founded by James Allardice in 1826. To this day the distillery continues his legacy, spanning nearly two centuries, of marrying Highland spirit to Spanish oak.
Glendronach Distillery. Picture: Peter Sandground
“What makes The GlenDronach unique is our sherry style leveraging of Pedro Ximenez casks,'' says Stewart Buchanan, the GlenDronach Global Brand Ambassador.
“The GlenDronach has the highest percentage of Pedro Ximenez in the industry delivering the most balanced, robust character, and full bodied sherried taste profile like no other whisky.”
The GlenDronach 12 Year Old, is the flagship expression in the range. “Every single drop has been in a sherry cask, a combination of both Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso. It is the expression which most represents the perfect balance of distillery character and maturation,” says Buchanan.
On the nose, you gets hints of ginger, spiced mulled wine and pear. You also get warm rich oak and sherry sweetness with subtle fruit on the palate.
The distillery was founded by James Allardice in 1826.
“You can discern the character of the spirit, the fruitiness, orange, some cherries, and at the same time it’s in balance with the Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso. The Pedro Ximenez gives sweetness and cocoa, almost like dark chocolate, cherries and spice, and Oloroso gives hazelnut, creamy, rounded, caramelised sweetness. Together you get that perfect balance, you get finesse and elegance, and at the same time it is full bodied and robust in character, with a really long finish,” he adds.
Also available are the award winning GlenDronach 18 Year Old Allardice, named after the distillery founder, and matured in the finest Spanish Oloroso sherry casks – a sublime richly sherried malt that is truly unforgettable.
“It has sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar and the fruit compote and glacier Morello cherries provide added complexity,” says Buchanan. It is a rich dark and seductive whiskey.
And finally, the award winning GlenDronach 21 Year Old Parliament, named after the parliament of rooks nesting in the trees overlooking the distillery for nearly 200 years, created by combining the finest sherry casks – a sublime sherried single malt not to be missed.