Latest News
17.08.10
On The Road Again: GlenDronach's "Cask In A Van" To Tour Belgium
Last year, GlenDronach malt whisky selected a single cask from its Aberdeenshire distillery...and took it round Belgium in the back of a van!
The quirky tasting tour - called "Cask in a Van" - proved so successful that they're repeating it again this year.
The Roadshow starts in Kampenhoudt on 21st September 2010 and ends in Zottegem on 25th September.
As our advertising slogan says, we're taking the brand "on a journey of re-discovery" around Belgium, one of our fastest-growing markets.
Following the phenomenal success of last year's tour, which was a huge hit with Belgian whisky fans, we're proud to announce details of our new 2010 tour.
Once again we'll be out in force with our special liveried van offering Belgians a unique chance to taste and purchase a truly excellent GlenDronach single cask whisky - this time it’s a 2002 release, which has been matured in a Bourbon barrel. In addition, we'll be offering tastings of our award winning 12, 15 and 18 year-old core range.
Like last year, people will be given the opportunity to fill their own bottle of GlenDronach straight from the cask...charcoal, sheep's hair and all! As it's a limited edition, it's going to be a highly collectable item.
This is clearly an occasion not to be missed and is a highlight of our calendar of events in Belgium.
And in addition to the "Cask In A Van" whisky, we'll also be dropping a few GlenDronach crackers into the mix.
GlenDronach's core range is available in over one hundred specialist stores throughout Belgium.
The tour dates and locations are:
Tuesday 21/09 Tasttoe - Kampenhoudt
Wednesday 22/09 Whisky on Wheels - Erpe Mere
Thursday 23/09 Anverness - Antwerpen
Friday 24/09 Tasttoe 2 - Wondelgem-Gent
Saturday 25/09 afternoon Jan Vissers - Geel-Westerlo
Saturday 25/09 evening Whiskyhuis - Zottegem
02.08.10
GlenDronach Releases 4 New Wood Finishes
More good news from GlenDronach. On top of the news that its sales have soared since the launch of its 12, 15 and 18YO core range last year, the Aberdeenshire distillery has announced the forthcoming release of four new wood finishes – the first of their kind ever to be released by the distillery in its 180 year history.
This month we've launched the much awaited Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port Wood finishes. Each unique expression was initially matured in European oak and thereafter finished its maturation in a very small batch of the respective wine barrels (or in one case, virgin oak), which have given the whisky its own unique flavours and aromas.
All are non chill filtered and of natural colour and are bottled at 46%abv.
GlenDronach 14YO Sauternes Finish
Appearance - bright lemon straw
Nose - juicy and fresh. A blanket of creamed soda and wild strawberries backed up lush late harvest desert wine. Hints of sherbet and ripe cherries. Very fruity.
Palate - apples and rhubarb drenched in home made custard. Sweet desert wine influences emerge with ripe sultanas and a lovely creamy heart.
Conclusions - sweet fresh and fragrant with balanced acidity. Lots of finesse and elegance, whilst still maintaining the lively youthful elements.
GlenDronach 14YO Virgin Oak Finish
Appearance - light gold. Freshly harvest straw.
Nose - toasted oak elements which are so intense that smoky attributes emerge. Sweet and lush tropical fruits rise with prominence. Banana and cacao, with roasted coconut.
Palate - spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist. Creamed desicated coconut and fresh buttered toast with a handful of hazelnuts on the side.
Conclusion - a glorious nut feast with superb depth.
GlenDronach 15YO Moscatel Finish
Appearance - light gold.
Nose - golden syrup and nutmeg. Poached peaches and apricot flavours with fresh figs and dates. Subtle marzipan on the tail intensifies the aromatics.
Palate - sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple intertwined with sweet ripe raisins and alcohol infused figs. Subtle marzipan adds a smooth round nutty edge.
Conclusion - a warming mix of fruit, nuts. Lovely length and balance.
GlenDronach 20YO Tawny Port Finish
Appearance - bright amber with a subtle tawny edge.
Nose - lashings of fine fortified wine elements and a generous portion of Mediterranean fruits including figs and dates.
Palate - stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples. The stewed fruit is balanced with an injection of liquorice and subtle aniseed flavours. Massive power and definition.
Conclusion - a complex dram with a fantastic fortified backbone.
The releases of a series of non-sherry wood finishes is certainly quite a departure from the norm for GlenDronach, where the tradition is to mature the whisky in big, rich sherry casks such as Oloroso and Pedro Ximinez.
We’re not looking to change the style of GlenDronach, our focus will continue to be on richly sherried malts, but we were interested to see how the whisky would react to different types of wood. It was important that the whiskies we selected for ‘finishing’ were not typical GlenDronach (richly sherried), instead we opted for whisky that had been maturing in lighter casks – this meant we could experience in full the impact of the 2nd cask, be it Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel or Tawny Port.
Each of these ‘finishes’ has been bottled in relatively small quantities, ranging from 340 cases of the Tawny Port Finish to 860 cases of the Virgin Oak Finish.
The wood finishes will available in over 20 export markets, and in the UK through independent, specialist whisky retailers, as well as at the distillery shop.
UK RRPs are as follows (70cl / 46%):
14YO Sauternes Finish - £41.99
14YO Virgin Oak Finish - £41.99
15YO Moscatel Finish - £44.99
20YO Tawny Port Finish - £64.99
02.08.10
Seven New Single Cask Bottlings from GlenDronach
Glendronach, the richly sherried Highland malt, has released Batch 2 of its single cask bottlings, which includes 7 rare and very limited expressions.
In chronological order, they are:
1971, cask 489, 39YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 48.8% vol
Liquorice and cloves partnering flawlessly with classic oloroso notes and lashings of chocolate orange nuances. Depth is built upon a layer of walnuts and almonds.
UK RRP £379.99
1972, cask 718, 38YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 51.5% vol,
Fruity and long. A tremendous concoction of sweet stewed fruits, nuts and chocolate. Fine old oloroso notes with terrific balance and acidity create excellent depth and definition.
UK RRP £359.99
1978, cask 1040, 31YO,
Oloroso Sherry Puncheon, 51.2% vol
Dense and long. Very elegant and smooth with classic sherry influences. Walnut flavours emerge which align perfectly with ripe citrus fruits.
UK RRP £184.99
1989, cask 3315, 20YO
Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon, 53.2% vol
Offers baked apples with sweet brown sugar syrup. Nutty, with almonds and hazelnuts bringing weight to the mix.
UK RRP £79.99
1990, cask 2621, 20YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 57.9% vol
Chocolate orange and coffee mocha mouse. Delightful balance and complexity with excellent length.
UK RRP £79.99
1991, cask 3182, 18YO
Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon, 51.7% vol
Bursting with stewed fruits- particularly sweet prunes. Date and dried fig characteristics add lovely depth and concentration.
UK RRP £70.99
1993, cask 529, 17YO
Oloroso Sherry Butt, 60.5% vol
Spicy and long. Superb mocha and hazelnut influences emerge, leading to a sweet rich finish.
UK RRP £66.99
Each year we specially select a handful of individual casks from the warehouses at GlenDronach to be bottled as our ‘Limited Releases’. We believe that the 2010 releases are an excellent example of the quality, richly sherried style that the GlenDronach distillery is famous for.
Batch 2 is being shipped to over 20 export markets, and will also be available in the UK through independent, specialist whisky retailers.
30.06.10
Latest Competition Winner
We're offering all of our newsletter subscribers the chance to win a bottle of the superb GlenDronach 33yo!
By simply entering your email address into the 'sign up' section on our website, you will be entered into our quarterly prize draw.
Congratulations to our latest winner - Adam Booth. Adam's email address was selected at random in June and he is now enjoying a bottle of one of GlenDronach Distillery's finest expressions!
Our next prize draw will take place in September 2009. For your chance to win why not subscribe to our newsletter? (it'll only take a minute).
03.06.10
GlenDronach Guided Tours are a Hit with Visitors!
April saw the launch of the tourism season in Scotland, and the team at GlenDronach have been welcoming visitors through the doors of the distillery from all over the world.
Since our new visitor centre opened earlier this year, we've seen a big increase in visitors and we're delighted at the feedback that we've received so far. Here are just a few of the comments recorded in our visitor book:
'Excellent tour given by Karen. Look forward to enjoying the 18yo malt.'
Mr & Mrs Taylor, South Yorkshire
'Excellent tour. Changed my mind on whisky!'
Mr Johnson, Cumbria
'Very personal tour. Thanks!'
Mr and Mrs Mash, Canada
'Fascinating tour. Delightful guide and delicious whisky! Thank you.'
Mr & Mrs Buxton, Worcestershire
'Loved the tour!'
Bernard Lowat, USA
'Loved it! friendly, interesting and a great tasting!'
L Maxime, France
We offer guided tours 7 days a week and our distillery shop is fully stocked with a variety of single malt whisky and gifts.
We'd be delighted if you could pop by and pay us a visit! to find out more, click here: http://www.glendronachdistillery.com/distillery/tours.php
25.05.10
GlenDronach Spirits Soar at Home & Abroad
Being sold by the Swedish alcohol monopoly, Oddbins and Carrefour has boosted the sales of GlenDronach’s new core range in the first twelve months.
Since being launched last spring, the GlenDronach Distillery's new range of single malts has sold some 25,000 cases worldwide, yielding extra sales of some £2.4 million.
When we launched the range last year, we promised our customers “A Journey of Re-Discovery”. From the terrific sales we’ve generated, it’s clear they're thoroughly enjoying their journey!
Established in 1826, the GlenDronach Distillery at Forgue is famous for producing richly sherried single malt whiskies. This time last year saw the re-launch of the already popular 12 year old Original as well as the return of the iconic older expressions - the GlenDronach 15 and 18 year olds, now under the new names of Revival and Allardice respectively.
GlenDronach has acquired a strong new following in a number of markets, including the USA, France, Belgium, Scandinavia and Taiwan.
Sweden is now one of our most prosperous markets, and it's partly due to the GlenDronach 15 years old (‘Revival’) being listed by Systembolaget, the Swedish alcohol retail monopoly.
Systembolaget’s product range is very comprehensive and, significantly, is developed continuously to match changes in trends and in consumers' tastes.
To be accepted by the monopoly is a real feather in our cap, as it shows they see us as one of Scotland’s outstanding malt whiskies. It also provides the GlenDronach 15 years old expression with national distribution in a country that is home to many of the most passionate malt enthusiasts in the world.
And, looking at the UK market, we’re also delighted to be on sale in Oddbins now, again with GlenDronach 15 years old, as well as a couple of expressions from BenRiach, our other distillery. That development shows that persistence pays – they’ve been on our radar for a number of years and now we’re available in-store and online.
In fact Revival is one of our star performers in the last twelve months. It’s a classic GlenDronach, a very dynamic and full-bodied dram. It has all the characteristics you would expect from really good Oloroso sherry casks – dark chocolate, raisins, coffee and orange notes.
In addition to Sweden and the UK, the distillery recently made some significant advances in France, having developed an exclusive GlenDronach expression called ‘Octarine’ (‘the colour of magic’) for multiple retailer Carrefour.
Together with our French agents -La Maison du Whisky- ’Octarine’ has been developed as an exclusive regional listing, within the world renowned Carrefour Group. We see this as a significant milestone in the ongoing re-launch of the GlenDronach brand.
Although globally, the brand growth is still in its early phase, this major retailer has clearly seen the unique selling points and fine brand heritage that GlenDronach has to offer. This will undoubtedly pave the way for bigger and better things in the months to come.
The ‘Octarine’ project was made feasible through rigorous and exacting cask selection drawn from the diverse inventory carried on site at the distillery. We are excited and eager to continue our portfolio development moving forward which will appeal to our growing client base.
The team at GlenDronach see 2010 as another big year for the brand...
Each year represents an important step in re-establishing the GlenDronach brand; in 2008 we took over the distillery and started to get to grips with the stock and the distillery production.
In 2009 we enhanced the core range, revising the12 years old and the introducing the 15 and 18 years old expressions. We also released our first batch of single casks bottlings, to much excitement, as these had been few and far between under previous regimes.
This year we may surprise some of the GlenDronach faithful, with the imminent release of four new bottlings that are not exactly typical of the distillery.
Almost from the very first day that the BenRiach Distillery Co purchased GlenDronach, Master Distiller and Managing Director Billy Walker embarked on a programme of wood management and experimentation that would allow the company to bring some real diversity to the GlenDronach portfolio.
The result of which is that this June will see the launch of a series of GlenDronach wood finishes – Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port.
To any malt drinkers who are familiar with what we done at BenRiach over the last 6 years, it will come as no surprise that Billy has been tinkering away in the GlenDronach warehouses to come up with some new creations! But seriously, while the focus will always be on sherry cask maturation for GlenDronach, it’s worth seeing what else the whisky is capable of, and for sure our customers have reacted positively to news that we are broadening this whisky’s horizons.
So, along with the new 31 years old ‘Grandeur’, which we launched earlier this year, and with the 2nd and 3rd batch of single casks scheduled to be released in 2010, it’s going to be a busy year!
21.05.10
GlenDronach - Exhibiting at Taste of Edinburgh
The Taste of Edinburgh weekend is one of the highlights of our year. Scotland’s sell-out food and drink festival brings together many of Scotland’s leading brands, restaurants and chefs to offer the finest range of food and drink from across the country. And it’s also wonderful to meet many of our fans and customers in person and talk about their preferences.
We’ll be featuring our classic BenRiach and GlenDronach malts during the weekend. From BenRiach, we’ll be tasting our “Classic Speyside” range, Peated BenRiach bottlings and our Wood Finish expressions.
And from GlenDronach we'll be showcasing our range of richly-sherried single malt whiskies, which include the 12 year old Original, the 15 year old Revival, and the 18 year old Allardice.
All will be available for tasting and purchase at Stand G15 at Taste of Edinburgh May 28-30.
13.04.10
GlenDronach 1996 Cask 197 Released Today... but only Available at Aberdeenshire Distillery!
GlenDronach is delighted to announce details today (April 13) of an exclusive single cask bottling...and it's available only in a secluded corner of the Scottish countryside!
1996 Cask 197 has been specially selected for devotees of our renowned richly-sherried malt and is only available at our Aberdeenshire distillery.
You won’t find it anywhere else in the world so if you want to savour this unique expression, you’ll have to come here to get one of our 576 bottles...but I assure you the journey will be well worth it!
Distilled and filled to cask on 16 February 1996 and bottled in March 2009, Cask 197 has been allowed to mature for over fourteen years. From an Oloroso Sherry Butt, it’s bottled at cask strength 59.7% vol. and is a great example of the big, rich, heavily-sherried style of whisky that malt drinkers the world over associate with GlenDronach.
Cask 197’s tasting notes confirm it’s a classic GlenDronach - smooth, sweet, complex and full-bodied with an incredible concentration of aromas.
Nose: Chocolate toffee sauce and intense raisin notes. Fortified wine elements marry well with roasted hazelnuts and almonds.
Appearance: Rich rosewood with a warm autumnal glow.
Palate: Sweet and full-bodied. Bold mocha flavours with more toasted nuts. An injection of stewed fruit helps to lift this dram to new levels. Chocolate-covered dates and fig jam release towards the finish.
Cask 197 bottles retail at just £47.99 each.
If you want to get hold of a bottle this spring, I’d advise you to get along to our Forgue distillery as quickly as possible, because once the 576 bottles are gone, they’re gone!”
For more information, go to www.glendronachdistillery.com, or email info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk or visit us any day of the week at The GlenDronach Distillery, Forgue by Huntly, Aberdeenshire AB54 6DB, Scotland, UK, tel : +44 (0)1466 730 202
30.03.10
New GlenDronach Visitor Centre Opens this Easter Weekend
After suffering two damaging floods last year, the new GlenDronach Distillery Visitor Centre at Forgue opens this Easter weekend.
And for fans of Scotland’s richly-sherried single malt, there’s a treasure-trove of phenomenal GlenDronach expressions, branded clothing and whisky-related items to enjoy as winter gives way to spring.
We’ve overcome numerous setbacks to open at Easter. We’ve had to cope with not one but two floods, which was immensely frustrating, but we’re now open for business after spending a considerable amount of time and money on the Visitor Centre and are looking forward to a busy spring and summer.
Established in 1826, GlenDronach is one of Scotland’s oldest distilleries. Visitor numbers have been growing over the last couple of years and are set to hit 5000 this year.
If you’re looking for something to do over the Easter weekend, GlenDronach is just 50 minutes north of Aberdeen and is an educational and fun place to visit, whereby you can gain firsthand experience of the workings of a traditional Highland malt distillery.
We have a devoted following all over the world, and we’re looking forward to welcoming people from as far afield as Australia, Japan and the USA. In addition, we are getting more and more bus tours plus local Aberdeenshire people, so it’s great to see the distillery site so busy.
Pride of place in the Visitor Centre goes to the classic hand-crafted 12, 15 and 18 year-old malts.
The twelve-year-old is a sweet, creamy, silky-smooth dram with hints of ginger. The fifteen-year-old is a sherry monster which, to me, tastes of chocolate orange and even treacle scones! And the eighteen-year-old is incredibly complex with wonderful flavours of stewed fruits and spices.
There are guided tours of the distillery - daily at 10.00am, 11.00am, 1.00pm, 2.00pm and 3.00pm. They cost just £3 and all visitors receive a dram of the GlenDronach twelve-year-old at the end.
25.03.10
GlenDronach Grandeur will Gladden the Hearts of Connoisseurs Worldwide
When the BenRiach Distillery Company purchased GlenDronach two years ago, it signalled a re-birth for this the grandest of East Highland malts.
At the time MD Billy Walker said: "We hope our acquisition of GlenDronach will intrigue, surprise and delight whisky connoisseurs around the world."
And today (March 25), connoisseurs of re-born GlenDronach will indeed be delighted by the launch of a sublime new thirty-one year-old expression selected personally by Mr Walker - the appropriately-named GlenDronach Grandeur.
It's set to gladden the hearts of connoisseurs around the world.
Endearing and enduring, the GlenDronach style is that of a big, smooth, sherried whisky - and Grandeur preserves and perpetuates that great tradition.
The whisky bottled as Grandeur has been specially selected by Master Distiller Billy Walker from some of the oldest and most unique Oloroso casks at GlenDronach.
A vast selection of barrels, hogsheads, puncheons and butts have been maturing in the traditional dunnage warehouses since the 1960s, and it is the most extraordinary and remarkable of these which have been chosen for this very special bottling.
This superb expression, a thirty-one-year-old at 45.8 vol. cask strength, is a classical representation of the smooth, complex and full-bodied style that the GlenDronach Distillery is famous for. Individually numbered by hand, each bottle is a one-off and truly unique.
Tasting notes reveal the remarkable subtleties of Grandeur.
Nose - A tremendous concentration of fruits, nuts and berries enveloped in a coffee and mocha glaze. Subtle sweet sherry notes interact beautifully with sticky date pudding aromas.
Palate - Very big and gusty flavours adorn each mouthful, yet with perfect balance and refinement. Initial spiced orange flavours and rich old Oloroso sherry are met mid-palate with roasted almonds, coffee and treacle. The dry concentrated flavours from the almonds and the oloroso sherry are balanced in perfect harmony with sultanas, chocolate and honey.
Conclusions - This is a rewarding, memorable and captivating GlenDronach expression for a very special occasion.
For more information on availability and pricing, please contact info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
10.03.10
Whisky Live London Competition Winner
At Whisky Live London earlier this month, the GlenDronach team ran a competition whereby a bottle of the GlenDronach 18yo was up for grabs.
Congratulations to the winner Floyd Jebson, who's name was selected at random from the list of entrants.
"I was really surprised and pleased to win.Glendronach 18 year old Allardice is one of my favourite drams, and I consider it to be the best sherry cask finish whisky I have ever tasted".
"A fantastic re-launch of a much-loved whisky which deserves every success."