The
Glendronach Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Forgue, by Huntly
Aberdeenshire AB54 6DB Scotland
Tel: +44 (0)1466 730 202 / Fax: +44(0)1466
730 313
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When
Glendronach opened its doors in 1826, many Scottish single
malts were matured in Spanish sherry casks. However over the
years the ever-increasing rarity and price (they are over
10 times as expensive as ‘standard’ barrels!)
has seen a major switch to American Bourbon barrels by the
whisky industry. Indeed today there are perhaps only 2 distilleries
that can truly be classified as ‘sherry maturation’
houses and only one where 100% of the single malt sold still
enjoys its primary maturation exclusively in sherry casks.
We are proud to be that distillery.
Even
today if you were to wander around our distillery you would
be transported back into the great Victorian era of whisky
production. Walk
along the line of Oregon pine washbacks fermenting away and
our coal fired furnaces – the very last in Scotland
– as they heat the original old ‘ball’ stills
to produce our precious spirit. Smell the damp air in the
original stone dunnage maturation warehouses as you walk past
line upon line of Spanish Oloroso butts quietly giving up
their ‘share’ to the angels.
As
you cross the Dronach burn back to the old manor house, you
are walking in the footsteps of James Allardice himself, our
founder and mentor. He coined the phrase ‘The guid Glendronach’
and was a stickler for tradition. 170 years on we see no reason
to doubt his wisdom or his words.
Our primary expression of the Glendronach® is a 12 year
old. It is of course matured in sherry casks for 12 years
but then ‘finished’ in American oak. This has
the effect of marrying the sherry notes with the creamy vanilla
tones that American oak offers. It is a beautifully smooth
Highland whisky – as you would expect from one of the
original ‘grand distilleries’ of the early 1800s.
It was in fact the highest duty paying distillery in Highlands
in the 1860s.
Does
this mean we have turned our back on our founder and 100%
sherry-matured malts? Of course not! However today it is increasingly
a style appreciated by real connoisseurs of whisky. Producing
top quality, sherry-matured whisky is a true distiller's art.
If the raw spirit does not have the right balance of flavours
then the finished product will end up dominated by the sweetness
imparted by the sherry butts. Glendronach are the experts
in this tricky balancing act.
In
one respect however, we are no different to all other distilleries
– in distilling there is always ‘the unknown’.
From time to time a batch of whisky is produced that for some
unexplained reason is ‘special’ we put these casks
to one side and allow them to mature further until we believe
they have reached their level of perfection. In our experience
top quality, sherry matured whisky requires a far longer maturation
period compared to conventional malts. In some cases it is
just a few more years. Others require longer. Many people
still talk wistfully about our last limited release the 25
year old expression, now sadly all gone.
However...Sitting
in a corner of our traditional stone maturation house was
an even older batch. Only now has the time been deemed right
to awaken the whisky from its long sleep and bottle it. How
long has it been sleeping? Thirty three long years!
We believe that ‘The 33’ is the finest expression
of Glendronach ever made. The sherry butts have imparted their
luscious flavour which is perfectly counter balanced by the
classic fruitiness of the Glendronach spirit. The finish is
long as you would expect, with that trademark hint of peat
smoke that our kilns imparted all those years ago.
To
celebrate 'The 33’ we have specially commissioned a
circular wood enclosure, hand made with a hand finished lacquer
exterior, with a colour that matches the deep red hue of its
precious contents.
