Glendronach 12 year old

Glendronach Distillery

Glendronach distillery was built in 1826 near Forgue in Aberdeenshire by a group of local farmers headed by James Allardice. For over ten years the distillery operated without incident until 1837 when the distillery was destroyed by a fire. James Allardice went bankrupt in 1842 and plunged the distillery's future into darkness.

A decade after the closure of Glendronach a local businessman acquired it. Under the new ownership the distillery was refurbished and expanded. During WWI Glendronach reduced production capacity like most distilleries at the time. When the war was over it was acquired by Charles, the youngest son of William Grant (founder of Glenfiddich distillery). The distillery remained in the hands of the Grant family until 1960 when W.M. Teacher and Sons bought it. Seven years after this acquisition the production capacity was expanded. 

After Glendronach was sold again in 1976, it went through various changes of ownership and periods of inactivity until 2008. On that year The BenRiach Distilling Co. acquired it. By this point Glendronach had released two 12 year old whiskies, one aged in Bourbon casks, the other in Sherry casks.

Today Glendronach keeps growing in popularity and has even appeared on blockbuster films. Brown Forman (owners of Jack Daniels) acquired Glendronach and two other whisky distilleries in 2016.

The character of the whisky is shaped by the unusual shape of its spirit and wash stills. By reducing reflux, weight and texture are added to the spirit. The maturation in sherry casks adds even more complexity to it.