The Story
The year is 1826, the Temperance Society had just been formed in Boston, Beethoven’s Quartet No. 13 is premiered in Vienna, the combustible engine is being patented, and deep within the Scottish Highlands, in the land of peat and bagpipes, the GlenDronach distillery is being born. GlenDronach got its start shortly after the Excise Act of 1823 when James Allardice became the second person to apply for a license to distill Whisky in Scotland. Ever since, the iconic Scottish distillery has been under the ownership of several well-known names in Scotch, namely; Walter Scott, Captain Charles Grant, and William Teacher and Sons.
The distillery is located near Forgue, by Huntly, Aberdeenshire, in the Speyside region, and is currently owned by BenRiach. GlenDronach survived many setbacks, including a fire in 1836 that nearly destroyed the entire facility. Their floor malting was also halted in 1996, and the distillery was mothballed. The distillery experienced a near complete overhaul when giant Pernod Ricard acquired them in 2005. They converted the last of the Scottish coal-fired stills to indirect steam-heated coils. GlenDronach was the last of the remaining distilleries using the method at this time.
“GlenDronach 15-year-old Revival went on hiatus three years ago due to a shortage. In 2018 it re-emerged with a new recipe, tweaked by master distiller Rachel Barrie. As before, a mixture of Pedro Ximénez and oloroso sherry casks has taken care of the aging process, and the result is one of the very best sherried single malts of its age on the market. The distillery’s characteristic spice, fruit, and chocolate notes are here in abundance, merging seamlessly and with satisfying complexity to create a great after-dinner dram” (Gavin D Smith, Whisky Advocate).
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