Latest News
GlenDronach launches Batch 2 of the GlenDronach cask strength expression
02.05.13
JUST five months after the launch of our new Cask Strength expression, we have bottled the second batch of this phenomenal new single malt.
“It really is down to huge demand in the international marketplace,” revealed Sales Director Alistair Walker. “All 12,000 bottles in Batch One sold out in a matter of weeks and since the turn of the year our agents around the world have been calling for a second batch. We’re delighted to respond with this new expression.”
Batch One got rave reviews from Glendronach aficionados. “Sublime whisky”; “Like flakes melting in dark chocolate”; “This whisky is superb. Like a kid in a toy shop drinking this”; and “On the palate you got chocolate raisins and dark caramel. Give it twenty seconds and you got caramel and cream. Can't wait for batch 2” were just some of the favourable comments.
“We believe Batch Two will exceed people’s expectations,” added Alistair. “It’s a superlative dram; the fullness of flavour is really astonishing.”
“Cask Strength” simply means that the whisky is bottled at the natural strength, straight out of the barrel. Each batch is unique, and the batches will continue to be released as long as this expression remains popular with consumers.
The second batch has been personally selected once again by Master Blender Billy Walker. At 55.2% vol, non chill-filtered and bottled at its natural colour, it has been matured as before in a combination of the finest Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks.
Mr Walker’s tasting notes show how time, wood and whisky mystically interact to create another richly-sherried expression that’s true to the GlenDronach style:
Appearance: Rich golden amber with a crimson heart.
Nose: Wonderful rich aromas of honey-drenched raisins and sultanas. Candied ginger and orange peel are spiced with a beautifully delicate back note of warm oak.
Palate: A perfectly balanced traditional sherried character. An explosion of chocolate-coated raisins and zest of orange mellowed with sweet warm oak spices, hints of soft toffee and gentle sugared almonds.
Finish: A uniquely balanced classic finish.
GlenDronach releases 7th batch of single cask bottlings
19.12.12
“FAULTLESS”, “brilliant” and “complete” are just some of the adjectives Jim Murray has used in his new 2013 Whisky Bible to describe the five expressions that comprise our 7th batch of single cask bottlings.
The five, ranging from 18 to 40 yo, are now available in the UK, and will be released in export markets from January 2013. Two have been matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheons and three in Oloroso sherry butts.
All five have been specially hand-selected by Billy Walker whose tasting notes speak lovingly of “an orchestra in full flow”, “an effusion of honeycomb” and even “teasing notes of toffee apples”.
The cask details are as follows:
1972 cask # 710 / 40 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 49.0% vol. / 356 bottles
1989 cask # 5475 / 22 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 51.6% vol. / 600 bottles
1991 cask # 3183 / 20 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 51.3% vol. / 600 bottles
1992 cask # 1123 / 19 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 57.8% vol. / 524 bottles
1994 cask # 98 / 18 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 58.2% vol. / 628 bottles
In his 2013 Whisky Bible, Jim Murray was very complimentary about all five, but reserved special praise for the ’72, ’91 and ’94 vintages:
Of the 1972 cask # 710, he said: “The richness of the sherry is almost the stuff of make-believe...the delivery is of oak crashing in a forest - mighty and all consuming…wow, this is like a big succulent bourbon matured in a top class sherry butt. This is a malt which if you should ever chance upon, you give the guy your coat if you have not money enough; even your under garments if it does the trick! For this is a whisky so complex, so complete, it is almost exhausting.” He gave it 96.
He commented re the 1991 cask # 3183: “Almost a coffee cake and Swiss roll marriage with grape jam for filling…mocha-flavoured Lubec marzipan notes sidle in delightfully…the light spices pulse. Tries to be syrupy and overbearing but fails miserably. Has to settle for being brilliant.” He gave it 95.
And summing up the 1994 cask # 98, he said: “Absolutely huge grape: a real Dundee cake dripping with Oloroso and Demerara…a faultless sherry butt. I had this sample in my hand as the Queen gave her address to round off her 60th anniversary celebrations: I could hardly have had a more fitting dram with which to toast her.” It also achieved a 96.
If you would like to receive more information regarding the Batch 7 releases, please contact us on info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
GlenDronach wins award and medals in 2012 Malt Maniacs Competition!
14.12.12
GlenDronach has won two main awards and eight medals in the 2012 “Malt Maniacs’ Awards”.
The ten accolades are:
Supreme Winner - Ultra Premium Category: GlenDronach 40YO 1972 (2012) cask #713, 50.2%, Oloroso sherry butt, 476 bottles
Gold Medals:
GlenDronach 40YO 1972 cask #713
GlenDronach 40YO 1971 cask #1248
GlenDronach 41YO 1971 cask #1247
Silver Medals:
GlenDronach 18YO Allardice
Bronze Medals:
GlenDronach 8YO Octarine
An international collective of thirty-two malt whisky enthusiasts, the Malt Maniacs have been enjoying and discussing the pleasures of single malt whisky with whisky lovers worldwide since 1997.
Their awards, sometimes called “The Formula One Grand Prix of Whisky”, have taken place every year since 2003 and, they claim, have become “one of the most important, influential and independent whisky competitions in the annual whisky calendar”.
Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “Winning these Malt maniac awards rounds off a great year for the company and they’re especially important to us because they’re given by passionate and independent-minded whisky enthusiasts who really know their malts. The awards also reflect the skill our people bring to the art of whisky creation and are testament to the huge amount of time and energy we dedicate to our wood management programme.
“I’m especially pleased that a 1972 GlenDronach bottling has won the top award for the third year running. Last year, 713’s sister cask 712 won best overall whisky and in 2010 cask 700, a Taiwan exclusive, was the overall winner. There’s no doubt that the early 1970s was a golden age for GlenDronach when it produced some expressions that are absolutely phenomenal.
GlenDronach launches new cask strength expression
03.12.12
In a “first” for GlenDronach, the award-winning Aberdeenshire distillery has produced a new cask strength expression which has been bottled in November.
Worldwide aficionados of our unique, richly sherried malt can now enjoy a classic GlenDronach exactly as we made it – at cask strength, non-chill filtered and at natural colour.
Personally selected by Billy Walker and designed to supplement the core range of 12, 15, 18 and 21 YO vintages, the spectacular GlenDronach Cask Strength has been matured in a combination of the finest Spanish Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso Sherry casks.
The first batch comprises some 12,000 bottles.
Billy Walker’s tasting notes illustrate that this expression is destined to become just as iconic as the other wonderful vintages in the core range.
Colour
A deep golden body glistens with rich crimson.
Nose
A luscious balance of succulent sherry aromas explode in honey-drizzled golden sultanas spiced by warm oak and gentle ginger.
Palate
Intense toffee and cocoa cascade into the rich sherry-soaked dark fruits. Zested orange explodes in the long, alcohol-infused chocolate fondant.
Conclusions
Long and lingering.
GlenDronach, one of the first licensed distilleries, was founded in 1826 by James Allardice, a colourful and inventive Scot who pioneered wood finishing.
Almost two hundred years on, in keeping with this great tradition, we’ve invested heavily in our wood management programme. We mature our single malt whisky in premium quality sherry casks, hand-crafted from European oak by the most reputable and renowned bodegas from Jerez in the south of Spain.
Over time, silently resting in our warehouses by the Dronac Burn in Forgue, the interaction of the high-quality wood and the maturing whisky produces sensational results and flavours. Oloroso casks confer a heavier scented body on our single malt whisky, often adding subtle notes of fruit and toffee, while Pedro Ximenez casks give GlenDronach a rich, dark, zesty flavour. The combination of the two results in an avalanche of sublime tastes that leave an indelible impression on the taste buds...and the new GlenDronach Cask Strength is a perfect example of Billy Walker’s astounding ability to perfectly match wood to whisky.
Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page over the coming weeks for more information on our new Cask Strength expression. If you would like to receive more information, please contact us on info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
GlenDronach wins top award in Scottish Field's 2012 Whisky Challenge
27.11.12
A GlenDronach 1990 single cask bottling has won three top awards in this year’s prestigious Scottish Field Whisky Challenge.
The bottling of cask number 2966, a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon, was voted Winner in the "Over £80" category, top Distillery Bottling and also won the big award – the coveted "Whisky of the Year" for 2012.
In a further accolade for the Aberdeenshire distillery, two other expressions – the GlenDronach 18 yo Allardice and the 21 yo Parliament – were both nominated in the "£35-£80" category, earning strong endorsements from the judging panel.
It’s the twelfth year of the awards in which forty-five of Scotland’s top whiskies went head to head to be crowned Whisky of the Year.
The Whisky Challenge team said: "Now in its twelfth year, the Scottish Field Whisky Challenge has firmly established itself as a credible guide to Scotland's very best whiskies as well as an event that is eagerly awaited by connoisseurs and whisky enthusiasts alike."
This year the judges, drawn from some of the top independent whisky retailers in Scotland, were Darren Leitch, Duncan Ralph, Mark Angus, Julie Trevisan Hunter, Mike Lord, Mark Connolly and Robin Russell.
And they were unanimous that the GlenDronach 22yo was an outstanding winner. In the knockout round in the morning session, all seven voted that it should go forward to the afternoon session. Normally at least one judge demurs so for all to agree is extremely rare.
In her notes, Julie Trevisan Hunter said: “A wonderful rich palate of bitter cherries and dark chocolate” while Robin Russell declared: “It’s one for the sherry monsters. Forget collecting this one – simply buy it and enjoy.
Distilled and filled to cask on May 30, 1990 and bottled in June this year as part of GlenDronach single casks' “Batch 6”, the 1990 cask # 2966 is aged 22 years old and has been bottled at cask strength (55.1% vol). The cask produced just 539 bottles which retail in the UK at approximately £95.99 per 700ml.
The judges were equally complimentary about the GlenDronach 18 and 21 year-olds which were nominated in the "£35-£80" category. The Allardice was “full bodied and rich with dark fruits, Christmas cake mix and a satisfying spicy wood flavour” while the Parliament was “an astoundingly big sherry cask whisky with lots of bodega notes, plums, bitter chocolate and a hugely long finish.”
GlenDronach Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “We’re obviously really pleased to win the big award. We release a number of single cask bottlings from GlenDronach each year, with vintages ranging from 1971 to 1996, and they are very popular. For the 1990 cask # 2966 to receive such fantastic recognition helps to underline the quality across the range of single cask releases from GlenDronach.”
A fantastic summer at the GlenDronach Distillery!
24.10.2012
Karen McWilliam, our full time distillery tour guide, looks back on a great summer at the GlenDronach distillery.
What a summer it has been, I think I have done hundreds of tours this year. It feels like the number of visitors to the distillery has gone up – it has been really busy! Many a good laugh with good folk.
Even though I have done so many tours, there is something special about each tour. It is maybe a little strange, but my favourite part of the tour must be the washbacks. The smells are so good! Our washbacks are very traditional and are made of high quality Scottish larch instead of Douglas fir or stainless steel. It is the beginning of the special process that makes our single malt. This summer we replaced one of the washbacks, it looks great.
I think GlenDronach is so unique because of the pride and passion of the staff to making the very best whisky. The time and effort taken by Billy Walker to select only the very best casks is very special.
My most memorable tour to date was only a few weeks ago when a lovely couple took three teddy bears on tour. All teddies were dressed in beautiful clothes and were wearing boots. You should have seen them posing next to the stills – very sweet! They also bought a GlenDronach pin badge for on their jackets, really cute. I hope they enjoyed their tour!
As well as some unusual visitors, I was asked a rather unusual question a while ago...’Why do you add yeast to the wash backs?’.... Answers on postcards please!
It has been great to meet so many new people and share GlenDronach with them. If you like a good dram and you are passing the distillery, please pop in for a dram and a chat!
The distillery visitor centre is open throughout the winter from Monday to Friday; 10am - 4.30pm. Hope to see you all there!
Slainte,
Karen
GlenDronach Cask Strength
05.10.2012
We are excited to give a preview of our latest GlenDronach expression - the GlenDronach Cask Strength!
This expression is not available in the market yet - it will be bottled in November. The whisky is matured in a combination of the finest Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks. It is non chill filtered and of natural colour.
Tasting notes:
Colour
A deep golden body glistens with rich crimson.
Nose
A luscious balance of succulent sherry aromas explode in honey drizzled golden sultanas spiced by warm oak and gentle ginger.
Palate
Intense toffee and cocoa cascade into the rich sherry soaked dark fruits. Zested orange explodes in the long alcohol infused chocolate fondant.
Finish
Long and lingering.
Gold for GlenDronach and BenRiach in London!
27.07.12
ON the opening day of the Olympics, the BenRiach Distillery Company is delighted to have won two golds, five silvers and a bronze medal!
Today we are celebrating eight awards, not at London 2012 of course, but at this year’s International Wine & Spirits Competition, the world’s most prestigious wine and spirit contest.
The results were announced today (27 July) in London.
The company’s full list of awards is:
Gold Medal
BenRiach 25YO
GlenDronach 12YO
Silver Medal / Outstanding
BenRiach 12YO
BenRiach 17YO Peated – Septendecim
GlenDronach 8YO – Octarine
GlenDronach 15YO
GlenDronach 15YO Tawny Port Finish
Bronze Medal
GlenDronach 21 YO
IWSC medals and trophies are the most highly regarded in the trade, representing the best of the best in the world of wines and spirits. The IWSC is judged by a panel selected from 300 fully-qualified and experienced industry judges. Noted for its intense and unrivalled judging process, the IWSC is proud to be the only competition of its kind that conducts a full blind tasting with extensive technical analysis.
BenRiach’s Sales Director Alistair Walker said: “We are really pleased by the results of this year’s competition and I suppose it’s quite fortuitous that the medals were awarded on the opening day of the Olympic Games! A number of these products are relatively new releases, such as the GlenDronach Octarine, 21YO and Port Finish, and the BenRiach Septendecim, so it’s nice to see them getting some industry recognition. We’re particularly delighted with the Gold Medal for the GlenDronach 12YO – this is our flagship GlenDronach expression, and we’ve invested heavily in the wood management programme at the distillery, so it’s satisfying to see that effort come to fruition.”
The tasting notes for the two gold winners are:
BenRiach 25 yo
NOSE
Rich honey, spices, apples and peat, in combination with superb oak-wood notes.
TASTE
A rich cocktail of honey, Oloroso sherry, cocoa and apples, supported by a fascinating presence of citrus, sweet peat and wonderful wood notes.
GlenDronach 12 yo
NOSE
Sweet, creamy vanilla, with hints of ginger. Autumn fruits.
TASTE
Rich, creamy, silky-smooth. Warm, rich oak and sherry sweetness, full mouth feel, raisins and soft fruits. Spicy with medium length and a dry finish.
Whisky Fringe 2012
26.07.12
The Whisky Fringe takes place the 3rd, 4th and 5th of August in Edinburgh. GlenDronach will be there with the following tasting line-up:
- GlenDronach 12YO
- GlenDronach 18YO
- GlenDronach 21YO
- GD UK exclusive single cask 1993 # 487, 19YO
We will have another special dram for 'The Half Time Orange' which will be revealed on the day of the event!
Slainte!
GlenDronach releases latest batch of single cask bottlings
13.07.12
THE BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. has today, Friday 13th July, released the latest batch of single cask bottlings from its GlenDronach Distillery.
This is the sixth batch of GlenDronach single casks to be released by the award-winning Aberdeenshire distillery.
The five casks were all bottled in June and are available as of today.
The batch comprises five sublime casks with vintages ranging from 1971 to 1993. Two have been matured in Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheons, one in an Oloroso sherry butt, one in an Oloroso sherry puncheon and the fifth in a Moscatel Barrel. The Moscatel cask (1989 cask # 4885) is a particularly unusual release from GlenDronach, given that the distillery tends to focus on sherry cask maturation.
All five have been hand-selected by The BenRiach Distillery Company’s Managing Director Billy Walker, and all share GlenDronach’s typically luxurious, richly-sherried characteristics, plus a fantasia of dates, orchestras of spices and explosions of honey, Demerara sugar, sweet molasses, mocha…and even fruit cake!
The cask details are as follows:
1971 cask # 1247 / 41 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 47.9% vol. / approx 529 bottles
1978 cask # 1068 / 33 years old / Oloroso Sherry Puncheon / 52.9% vol. / approx 318 bottles
1989 cask # 4885 / 23 years old / Moscatel Barrel / 53.9%vol. / approx 286 bottles
1990 cask # 2966 / 22 years old / Pedro Ximenez Sherry Puncheon / 55.1% vol. / approx 539 bottles
1993 cask # 536 / 19 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 59.4% vol. / approx 596 bottles
Last year, after tasting and evaluating over 4500 whiskies worldwide for his “Whisky Bible 2012”, Jim Murray singled out GlenDronach as the distillery “with the most consistently impressive output throughout 2011” and placed it “in the Grand Crus of Scottish Malt Distilleries”. He added: “If there was a Whisky Bible Scotch Malt Whisky Distillery of the Year, GlenDronach would be it.”
Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page over the coming weeks for more information on these new releases, tasting notes and exclusive product photography.
If you would like to receive more information regarding Batch 6 releases, please contact us on info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
Try the GlenDronach taste avalanche this summer!
10.07.12
AN AVALANCHE of raisins and spices awaits visitors to GlenDronach this summer!
We have just bottled our latest Distillery Exclusive which once again promises to leave an indelible impression on the taste buds. Distilled on the 24th of September 1993, and matured in an Oloroso sherry butt, cask number 1607 was bottled this June as an 18 year-old, at cask strength (56.1% vol). The whisky is rich ruby mahogany in appearance. On the nose, there’s the aforementioned avalanche of raisins and spices supplemented with cedar wood notes, while on the palate it offers the taste of fruit cake and sweet spices laced with figs, raisins and lashings of currants.
This exclusive GlenDronach expression is now available, but only to visitors to the distillery shop. It retails at £74.99, and with the cask generating just over 600 bottles, it is very much a limited release.
Also new at GlenDronach this summer is the latest outstanding Distillery Manager’s cask. Personally selected by Alan McConnochie, GlenDronach 1993 cask # 1616 is a classic, richly-sherried 18 year-old single malt redolent of all the wonderful things you associate with GlenDronach – raisins, chocolate, spices and dates. Visitors can hand-fill their own bottle at the distillery with a personalised label and take home a little bit of heaven.
The GlenDronach Visitor Centre is open seven days a week in the summer from 10.00am to 4.30pm. It offers regular guided tours (The ‘Discovery Tour’) throughout the day – at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm. The distillery also offers the ‘Connoisseur’s Tour’ – a more comprehensive, in-depth experience – which can be arranged by appointment only.
More information from the Visitor Centre visit www.glendronachdistillery.co.uk, or email info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk
GlenDronach's 'Cask in a Van' heads for Belgium on Monday!
07.06.12
FOR the fourth year running, award-winning GlenDronach has selected a rare single cask from its Aberdeenshire distillery and will tour it around Belgium next week…in the back of a small van!
The quirky tasting tour - called "Cask in a Van" – has proved so successful that it has become an eagerly-anticipated event by Belgian fans of the single malt. The GlenDronach Roadshow starts in Zolder on June 11 and finishes in Beveren-Waas on June 16.
Conducting it will be GlenDronach’s Brand Ambassador Stewart Buchanan who said: “Belgium is one of our fastest-growing markets and we’re delighted to take this wonderful cask on our week-long tasting tour.
"With our specially-liveried van, we’re offering Belgians the chance to savour and purchase a truly excellent GlenDronach single cask whisky - this time it’s a 2002 release, cask 2024, at 55.5% vol. which has been matured in a Pedro Ximenez sherry puncheon.
"In addition, we’ll be offering tastings of our 12, 15, 18 and 21 year-old core range along with our wonderful 15 year-old Tawny Port Wood Finish expression.”
Stewart added: “The 2002 is classic GlenDronach and it's really superb. In appearance, it’s polished antique mahogany. On the nose, there’s soft toffee and vanilla with hints of caramelised pear and ginger. And on the palate, deep cherry and soft vanilla leading to honeyed apricots and a long, creamy toffee almond finish. It's outstandingly good!”
He added: "As in previous years, people will be given the opportunity to fill their own bottle of GlenDronach straight from the cask and, as it's a limited edition, it's bound to be a highly collectable item.” So look out for the cask at an outlet near you.
The tour dates and locations are:
11th June: Drankenshop, Zolder
12th June: Windels, Mechelen
13th June: Verachtert, Saint Georges Sur Meuse
14th June: Fisser, Westerloo-Geel
15th June: Vercauteren, Londerzeel
16th June: Cave St Jacques, Tournai
16th June: Soete Huys, Beveren-Waas
GlenDronach's core range is available in over 100 specialist stores throughout Belgium.
The BenRiach Distillery Company appoints first brand ambassador
23.05.12
BEYONCE does Samsung and Armani, Chanel have Keira Knightley and Revlon have Jessica Biel.
And now The BenRiach Distillery Company has appointed Dumbarton-born Stewart Buchanan as its Brand Ambassador!
He'll cover both BenRiach and GlenDronach whiskies.
"Coming from a production background, I aim to spread a greater understanding of the different techniques used at both distilleries which give the whiskies their own unique character," said Stewart, formerly BenRiach's Production Manager.
A Brand Ambassador is the public face of an organisation who best embodies its products and services. And today, in an era of what communications experts are calling "conversation marketing", who better than Stewart who can talk for hours about his beloved malts!
He explained: "I was working in the Tobermory Distillery when Billy Walker and his associates bought BenRiach in 2005. He asked me and Alan McConnochie to come across to get BenRiach up and running and back to its original glory. I lived in the distillery for a month as I worked all hours of the day and night preparing to return it to production.
"Seven years on, Billy and Alistair raised the idea of me moving into the new role, as previously I've been on the road helping the sales boys and I think they saw the benefit of someone with such a production-orientated background being more heavily involved with the tastings and whisky festivals.
"I'll cover all markets in my new ambassadorial role, spending most of my time on the road. Our existing markets are growing, and new markets are opening up for BenRiach and GlenDronach, and the company really needs this extra resource to support the ongoing development of both brands.” He added: "The type of events we attend are mostly with whisky enthusiasts who are really looking for as much information as possible, so hopefully I can answer most questions thrown at me."
Tastings can range from 25 people in the back room of a pub in Glasgow to 100 people in a conference room in Japan. He's just done a tasting for the Glasgow Whisky Club who said: "Another amazing night and very educational as Stewart Buchanan really knew his stuff and an excellent introduction to the BenRiach and GlenDronach range for those who haven't sampled it before."
He's braced for some detailed questioning at these sessions from whisky aficionados. "Someone asked me the yield at BenRiach which is a simple answer - around 410 litres of alcohol per tonne of barley. But then his friend asked me: "How many gallons per bushel is that?" - which really had me scratching my head!" But I got there eventually. Stewart's passionate about the whiskies he helps produce and revealed that he has three or four special favourites.
"For special occasions, my "desert island" whiskies would be the 1976 BenRiach and the 1972 GlenDronach while my day-to-day dram would be BenRiach Curiositas alternated with the GlenDronach 15yr Revival - all extraordinarily great!"
BenRiach and GlenDronach look back over a unique award winning year
08.12.11
As 2011 draws to a close we have been looking back on our most successful year ever.
Managing Director Billy Walker said: "We have been very fortunate to win a number of top awards this year which reflect the passion our people bring to the art of whisky creation. “They are also testament to the huge amount of time and energy we dedicate to our wood management programme.”
Billy highlighted three awards of which he was especially proud this year. First, at the 2011 Malt Maniacs Awards, the company won two gold, four silver and three bronze medals. The GlenDronach 1972 bottling of cask 712 was the best overall whisky in the competition. 1972 cask # 712 was bottled earlier this year as part of the 4th batch of GlenDronach single cask bottlings. That meant that, for the second year running, a 1972 GlenDronach won best overall whisky; the previous year was a 1972 bottling from cask 700, a Taiwan exclusive.
Also at Malt Maniacs, of only eight gold medals up for grabs, GlenDronach won two while the recently launched GlenDronach 21 year-old ‘Parliament’ and the BenRiach 1976 cask # 6942 (from Batch 8) both won silver.
Second, Billy was also gratified by numerous excellent reviews in Jim Murray's 2012 Whisky Bible. "Jim made a number of very kind comments in his new book, but the highpoint was his singling out GlenDronach as the distillery with the most consistently impressive output throughout 2011. “He very generously concluded by saying: “If there was a Whisky Bible Scotch Malt Whisky Distillery of the year, GlenDronach would be it." "That was very special."
In the “Bible”, there were fantastic scores for two relatively new expressions - the BenRiach 12 year-old Sherry Matured and BenRiach 15 year-old Solstice. The GlenDronach 1992 bottling of cask 161 (from Batch 4) gained 96 points and was voted 'single malt - single cask of the year in the 16 - 21 year-old section'. The GlenDronach 18 year-old went one better and achieved 96.5 points as did the BenRiach 1971 cask # 1947 (Batch 8), while the GlenDronach 1972 cask # 712 (Batch 4) achieved 95.5 points. BenRiach 1976 # 6942 (Batch 8) gained 95 points and there were stunning performances from three of the five GlenDronach single cask bottlings from Batch Five, released only last week, which also scored 95 plus.
And finally, Sales Director Alistair Walker looked back on a phenomenal IWSC this year at which BenRiach and GlenDronach won an unprecedented nine awards including two trophies. "IWSC is the one every whisky producer wants to win. It's the most prestigious competition of its kind in the world and carries huge weight and credibility through its reputation and history. As you might expect, we were ecstatic to do so well.” Star of the IWSC show was the BenRiach 12 year-old sherry matured which won two trophies while the BenRiach 20 year-old also picked up a gold medal.
Said Alistair: "For a small independent distillery like BenRiach to win two trophies for the same single malt was astounding - especially when you consider all the big multi-nationals which also participated.”
GlenDronach releases latest batch of single cask bottlings
1.12.11
THE BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. has today released the latest batch of single cask bottlings from its GlenDronach Distillery.
This is the fifth batch of GlenDronach single casks to be released by the award-winning Aberdeenshire distillery.The five casks were bottled over the last few weeks and are available as of today.
The batch comprises five outstanding casks from 1972 to 1993. Three have been matured in Oloroso sherry butts, one in an Oloroso sherry puncheon and the fifth in a Pedro Ximinez sherry puncheon.
All five casks have been hand-selected by The BenRiach Distillery Company’s Managing Director Billy Walker, and they all share GlenDronach’s typically luxurious, richly-sherried characteristics, plus huge layers of fruit ranging from stewed pears to prunes, cherry, plums, apples…and even rhubarb crumble!
The cask details are as follows:
1972 cask # 716 / 39 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 421 bottles
1978 cask # 1067 / 32 years old / Oloroso Sherry Puncheon / 417 bottles
1989 cask # 3314 / 21 years old / Pedro Ximinez Sherry Puncheon / 489 bottles
1991 cask # 2406 / 19 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 530 bottles
1993 cask # 1 / 18 years old / Oloroso Sherry Butt / 507 bottles
All five whiskies were reviewed by whisky writer Jim Murray in the recently published 2012 version of ‘Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible’, and three of them scored particularly well, with a stunning 95 points or more, as follows:
1978 cask # 1067 – 95.5 / 100
1989 cask # 3314 – 95 / 100
1991 cask # 2406 – 95 / 100
Additionally, in his annual ‘Review of the Year’, Jim Murray singles out GlenDronach as the distillery with the most consistently impressive output throughout 2011 – to quote Jim: “... if there was a Whisky Bible Scotch Malt Whisky Distillery of the year, GlenDronach would be it.”
If you would like to receive more information regarding Batch 5 releases, please contact us on info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk