News Archive
GlenDronach - A Hit with Visitors
05.07.10
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
On The Road Again: GlenDronach's 'Cask In a Van' to Tour Belgium
17.08.10
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
GlenDronach Spirits Soar at Home & Abroad
25.051.0
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!
GlenDronach 1996 Cask 197 Released Today
13.04.10
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
New GlenDronach Visitor Centre Opens this Easter Weekend
30.03.10
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.
Whisky Live London Competition Winner
10.03.10
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."
GlenDronach Grandeur will Gladden the Hearts of Connoisseurs Worldwide
25.03.10
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
GlenDronach - Exhibiting at Taste of Edinburgh
21.05.10
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.
www.tasteofedinburgh.co.uk
Dram Fine Result as 'Adorable' GlenDronach Scoops Two New Awards
08.12.09
The team at GlenDronach are toasting two new awards achieved by our stellar 15 year old “Revival” single malt.
Last week, at the Dutch Whisky Awards 2009, it was voted Best Single Malt Whisky of the year in the Netherlands.
And this week, it also won a top accolade in the prestigious “Malt Maniacs” 2009 Awards.
Our Dutch agent Caecil Gerrits of importers Versailles Dranken Nijmegen explained: “On the awards’ website, visitors of the festival were ask to vote for “The Best Single Malt Whisky” out of a selection of three hundred different whiskies divided into three categories. We received over four thousand votes.
“Some 62% of the votes in the non-peated category went to the GlenDronach 15 yrs old.
“After that, in a blind tasting, the six-person tasting panel chose the four best whiskies in the three categories. Even in this blind taste the GlenDronach 15 yrs was the best.”
The second success for “Revival” was in winning the Malt Maniacs’ “Non Plus Ultra Award 2009” in the Daily Drams category.
The Malt Maniacs, founded 1997 by Johannes van den Heuvel and Serge Valentin, are the most well known of all web-based whisky communities. Their twenty-four members are scattered all around the globe – in Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa – and amongst them are whisky writers Martine Nouet, Dave Broom and Charles MacLean.
The Malt Maniacs’ Awards, sometimes called 'The Formula One Grand Prix of Whisky', have taken place every year since 2003. More than two hundred whiskies are usually preselected and submitted by more than sixty different distillers, bottlers or brands and tasted blind by independent international jurors.
Johannes said: “It was not a huge surprise that the Glendronach 15yo did so well - Serge and I both adored it when we got the chance to sample it earlier and many of the jurors share our love for heavily-sherried whiskies. So many congratulations.”
Earlier, on his Whiskyfun website, Serge Valentin gave"Revival" 92 pointsand commented: "The fact that some distilleries still have such old-style sherried whiskies may well be the best of recent news from the whisky world. An adorable whisky."
The GlenDronach “Revival” is a remarkable full-bodied malt which is matured for a minimum of 15 years in the finest Oloroso sherry casks. Bottled at 46%, the GlenDronach Revival is non chill filtered and of natural colour.
GlenDronach Distillery has all your Christmas Gifts
17.11.09
This Christmas, the solution to your Christmas gift dilemma is dram simple...and on your doorstep!
The GlenDronach Distillery Gift Shop is open 7 days between now and Christmas.
So pop in and let our friendly team help you re-discover the full range of our superlative, warming,richly-sherried malts – the perfect Christmas gift for Mums, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Brothers, Sisters...Everyone!
And our new pack of three GlenDronach miniatures makes a superb stocking-filler.
But not only that. We’ve got Tshirts, scarves, hats, umbrellas, drinking glasses and much more....and there’s 10% off all giftware between now and Christmas.
In addition, the Distillery Tour is available every day and everyone gets a wee warming dram at the end.
Gift Shop opening hours:
Monday - Saturday: 10am - 4.30pm
Sunday: 12noon - 4.30pm
Sante! Rare GlenDronach & BenRiach Malts Set to Be a Highlight of Whisky Live Paris
14.01.09
A number of fine and rare BenRiach and GlenDronach malts are set to be one of the highlights of Whisky Live Paris this month.
French whisky lovers are looking forward to sampling some of the vintage expressions which have been maturing in GlenDronach’s Aberdeenshire distillery over the last forty years.
Whisky Live provides the ultimate whisky experience and continues to be one of the leading consumer and trade-based whisky shows globally.
France has long been regarded as the leading Scotch Whisky market worldwide and it is essential that we have our brands on display on this key date in the annual calendar of events.
Although the majority of whisky sold in France is blended whisky, single malt Scotch Whisky is fast becoming a fashionable beverage within the young to middle-aged consumer groups. We hope that both BenRiach and GlenDronach will be well received by all those who visit the stand over the exhibition weekend.
This year’s exhibition has significant interest to us and we will be showcasing the newly-released GlenDronach 15-year-old and 18-year-old expressions together with some fine and rare vintage editions which will appeal to all malt whisky enthusiasts and collectors alike.
Amongst many of the products being presented are:
BenRiach 12yo ‘Sherry Wood’ matured
BenRiach 16yo
Birnie Moss ‘non aged’
GlenDronach 15yo
GlenDronach 18yo
In addition, James we will be sampling some astonishing vintage expressions from 1971, 1972 and 1996.
WhiskyLive Paris takes place at Pavillon Gabriel, 5 avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris, from Saturday 26 - Monday 28 September 2009.
Latest Competition Winner
06.09
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 Tim Puett who is our latest winner! Tim's email was selected at random at the end of June and his bottle of 33yo is now on its way!
Malts on the March: BenRiach & GlenDronach Expand into China, Vietnam and USA
28.08.09
As part of our planned growth strategy, we're expanding into emerging markets such as China and Vietnam. We are also beefing up our presence in the USA.
In the past, these countries were perceived as being off the radar as target malt whisky markets. However, in recent years the booming economies and the rise in the number of wealthy individuals have helped to make malt whisky a more attainable product.
Additionally, these markets are already hugely popular holiday destinations due to improved air links and the spin-off from the Beijing Olympics.
Due to the sheer size of China – over three and a half million square miles and over 1.3 billion of a population - we intend on focus on a small number of regions rather than try to target the country as a whole. This can act as a springboard to build the brand further in due course.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has also entered a significant period of growth within the tourism sector, and this lends itself well to the introduction of premium malt whisky throughout the relevant outlets that this industry attracts.
Our plan is to conduct a series of organised tastings and corporate events in the months to come which will aid the brands’ introduction. For any new market and particularly emerging markets, it is essential that we are closely in touch with activities on the ground, as has already been successfully proven in some of our other new territories around the world.
Looking at the USA, BenRiach has been available in the US for four years now and we are gradually establishing a name for it through tutored tastings and whisky festivals across the country.
Our US Importer Preiss Imports will be introducing the new GlenDronach range – 12, 15 and 18 year old malts – towards the end of this year.
We believe GlenDronach has excellent potential in the US. We have been inundated with enquiries from US consumers via our website so there clearly remains an awareness for the brand in the States - an awareness that was built up during the past five decades via William Teacher's and Allied Distillers.
£7M Investment as GlenDronach Goes for Global Growth
23.08.09
The journey of re-discovery continues: GlenDronach is set to benefit from a major £7m investment.
It’s part of our strategy to restore the malt to its former glory and accelerate its growth in new markets worldwide.
Forty years ago, GlenDronach was amongst the top five most popular malts in the world. Now a £5m investment in sherry casks over the next four years and a further £2m on brand promotion and extra staff will boost the sleeping giant.
In recent years, GlenDronach has fallen out of view but it has maintained a kind of cult status. This investment returns it to centre-stage.
It’s testament to our ambitions as a small, niche distiller. We are making sure the whisky coming through is of the highest quality and the new sherry casks will be at the heart of maturation, imbuing the whisky with its distinctively sweet, fragrant and fruity taste.
When we bought The GlenDronach Distillery last year, there were less that 20,000 bottles sold worldwide. This year, having added a number of new expressions like the 15 and 18 year-old, GlenDronach will sell around 150,000 bottles. By 2014, the aim is to sell some 250,000 bottles.
We’re pursuing our dream – to sell fine malt whisky all over the world and put GlenDronach back where it belongs.
GlenDronach Releases Single Cask Batch One
17.07.09
We have recently selected five vintages for the first series of single cask bottlings.
In Batch One we have singled out malts from 1971, 1972, 1992, 1993 and 1996 in ages ranging from 38 to 13 years old.
All five are in the traditional GlenDronach style – richly sherried, from Oloroso Sherry Butts - and are being bottled this month.
Dating back to 1826, there have been few if any single cask bottlings from GlenDronach, so the launch of Single Cask Batch One is particularly significant..
We will repeat this exercise each year, hand-selecting a small number of the very best casks from the distillery warehouses to release as Single Cask bottlings.
Each will be bottled at cask strength, at natural colour and non chill filtered. Bottles will be individually numbered by hand and will be housed in a deluxe gift box.
Batch One is being marketed in fifteen countries worldwide, with shipments to the UK, Europe, South Africa, Asia and New Zealand scheduled for the first week of August.
The full cask list is:
1971 cask 483, 38 years old
1972 cask 719, 37 years old
1992 cask 1140, 16 years old
1993 cask 523, 16 years old
1996 cask 193, 13 years old
7 More Awards for the BenRiach GlenDronach Distillery Company
21.07.09
The BenRiach GlenDronach Distillery Company continues to attract awards, with a further seven gained at the International Spirits Challenge.
The seven new awards – four silver and three bronze - come hard on the heels of the ten gained earlier last week at the 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition.
The awards are:
BenRiach 12yo – Silver
BenRiach 13yo – Bronze
GlenDronach 12yo – Silver
GlenDronach 15yo – Silver
GlenDronach 18yo – Silver
GlenDronach 33yo – Bronze
Birnie Moss – Bronze
BenRiach Distillery Company Wins Ten Awards at International Wine
& Spirits Competition
16.07.09
The team at GlenDronach and BenRiach are celebrating after winning an impressive ten top awards in the prestigious 2009 International Wine and Spirits Competition.
Founded in 1969, The International Wine and Spirit Competition is the premier competition of its kind in the world. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world's finest wines, spirits and liqueurs.
IWSC medals and trophies are the most highly regarded in the trade, representing the best of the best in the world of wine and spirits.
The Competition received more than 7000 entries from over 80 countries.
In results published today (July 16), the company entered 10 whiskies from both the BenRiach and GlenDronach brands, and won 10 medals – 1 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze.
GlenDronach Distillery has four expressions and all four won medals including a Gold and Best in Class for its 15 year-old ‘Revival’ while BenRiach won a further six awards including two Silver and Best in Class.
The company’s awards were:
GlenDronach Medals
Gold Best in Class GlenDronach 15YO ‘Revival’
Silver Best in Class GlenDronach 33YO
Silver GlenDronach 12YO Original (new 2009 version)
Silver GlenDronach 18YO Allardice
BenRiach Medals
Silver Best in Class BenRiach ‘Maderensis Fumosus’ 13YO Peated / Madeira Finish
Silver Best in Class BenRiach 16YO
Silver BenRiach 12YO
Silver BenRiach ‘Curiositas’ 10YO Peated
Silver BenRiach ‘Authenticus’ 21YO Peated
Bronze BenRiach 15YO Dark Rum Finish
The judges’ Tasting Notes for the GlenDronach 15 year old “Revival” commented: “Great concentration of complex aromas on the nose including treacle toffee, chocolate, orange, toasted nuts and vanilla. Great depth in the mouth, with all the nose promised, plus some Demerara sugar, sweet malt and lots of toast. Great balance with firm tightness which is offset to a degree by lots of mellow notes. Long finish has distinct gingery note.”
We are absolutely delighted that ten of our expressions have been recognised at such a prestigious competition.
Cheers! Unknown Larbert Liquid Link to Whisky Galore
(Press Release - 28/04/09) .
28.04.09
The BenRiach GlenDronach Distillery Company is sponsoring the screening of “Whisky Galore” in Bo’ness later this month...
...and we have just discovered that it’s highly likely some of our whisky was on the ship that features in the film!
The classic 1949 film is based on a true story about a ship, the Politician, which sank outside Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides eight years earlier carrying 50,000 cases of Scotch.
The comedy tells the hugely enjoyable story of the efforts of the islanders to salvage the precious liquid cargo before Customs and Excise officials arrive.
To celebrate Whisky Month, which is part of Homecoming Scotland 2009, the new Bo’ness Hippodrome Cinema is presenting an exclusive screening of the film with an introduction by whisky expert Keith Hewitt.
The screening and talk will be preceded by an opportunity to sample single malt whiskies from the GlenDronach and BenRiach range.
And in preparing for the event, the GlenDronach team made the startling discovery that GlenDronach was likely to have been amongst the shipwrecked 50,000 cases.
The entire consignment on the Politician was blended whisky heading for America. For many years GlenDronach and Ballantine’s were linked, and as such it's highly likely that GlenDronach was one of the malts used to make Ballantine’s, which was part of the cargo.
Falkirk Council’s Alison Strauss, programmer of the Hippodrome, said: “’Whisky Galore!’ is such a classic film because it combines all the elements of Ealing’s best productions.
"My Dad first got me into great British cinema titles like this watching telly on a Sunday afternoon and many people like me will know and love this film already. But there’s something extra-special about seeing it on a big screen, with an audience and in Scotland’s oldest surviving cinema!
"And of course with Keith’s talk and the whisky tastings, it’s going to be a hot ticket to have.”
‘Whisky Galore!’ will be presented at the Bo’ness Hippodrome, 10 Hope Street, Bo’ness EH51 0AA, on Thursday May 14. Doors open at 6:45pm, with whisky tastings from 6:45pm to 7:45pm, followed by the talk at 7:50pm. The film starts at 8:20pm.
Tickets - £10 (£7.50 concessions) are available from the Hippodrome or call the Steeple Box Office on 01324 506850.
GlenDronach Sells Out in Belgium
(Press Release - 22/04/09)
22.04.09
It gave us chocolate, the saxophone and Tintin. Now Scotland is giving Belgium top-end malt whisky..and it can’t get enough!
Three weeks ago, GlenDronach launched the new range of twelve, fifteen and eighteen-year old malts and already the first 3000-bottle consignment has sold out in Belgium, much to the surprise and delight of the GlenDronach team.
So why is “the cockpit of Europe” fighting to get its hands on one of Scotland’s original sherried malts?
GlenDronach’s Belgian importer The Nectar, represented by Mario Groeteklaes, explained: “GlenDronach has always been a well-known brand in Belgium, especially the “old” fifteen-year-old.
“Latterly, its distribution was limited, but a lot of enthusiasm has been shown by our customers when they heard that GlenDronach was to be re-launched by its new owners, the BenRiach Distillery Company.
“That, and the good publicity given to the new fifteen and eighteen-year-olds by some Malt Maniacs, and on some forums, made it easy to introduce the new range to about one hundred specialised liquor stores over Belgium in just one week."
“I think that this “old” style of sherry flavours fits well into the taste of the Belgian whisky market where GlenDronach can, in the upcoming years, challenge Macallan supremacy.”
We are absolutely delighted to have received this enormous level of enthusiasm towards the new GlenDronach expressions from such an influential market.
Whisky - A Drink For the Ladies?
06.04.09
'New research has found a significant increase in the number of female connoisseurs thirsting over a wee dram.'
On the 6th of April 2009, STV featured The GlenDronach Distillery in a television news story. To view the film and read more on this article please click the following link:
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/86953-whisky-a-drink-for-the-ladies
GlenDronach, The Richly Sherried Single Malt, Makes a Spirited Comeback
(Press Release - 07/04/09)
07.04.09
Warm, rich oak and sherry sweetness. Deep amber gold. Rich mahogany. Spiced mulled wine and pear. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries. Walnut cake and mocha. Viscous and syrupy.
An astonishing smorgasbord of complex tastes, colours and character is at the heart of the new GlenDronach portfolio of single malts which are re-launched today (Tuesday April 7) following a £250,000 investment by its new owners, The BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd.
The GlenDronach Distillery in Forgue, Aberdeenshire, is famous for producing richly-sherried single malt whiskies of inimitable and individual character. Today sees three sublime malts – a 12, 15 and 18-year-old - make a welcome re-appearance on the market.
This is the beginning of our strategy to re-package and re-launch GlenDronach in markets worldwide. We've taken it back to how it was originally, promoting it as one of Scotland's original sherried whiskies."
Whisky connoisseurs have been waiting patiently for our new core range and it’s exciting for all of us at GlenDronach to be part of bringing this iconic brand back to life.
The name "GlenDronach" is Gaelic for "the valley of the brambles" but there's nothing prickly about our three new releases. All have that distinctive sweet, sherried GlenDronach nose, with subtle hints of chocolate, ginger, autumn fruits and much more.
And you don't have to imagine them any longer; you can now taste them for yourself. The sleeping giant has awoken!
For more information and stockists, please email: info@glendronachdistillery.co.uk or call our head office
on +44 (0) 1324 682220.
Make Mine a Treble!
11.03.09
You know that urban myth about how you wait for a bus, it never comes... and you wait longer and longer, then several come along together?
Well, we know GlenDronach aficionados have been waiting patiently for our new core range ever since we
bought the distillery last summer.
The great news is that the first release of not one, not two, but THREE wonderful GlenDronach malts will be available for worldwide release from the middle of April.
On their way are a 12, 15 and 18 year old. And to show that something new and exciting is happening, we've enhanced the packaging. It's still traditionally Scottish but we've added some colourful new flourishes to freshen
it up.
This is the beginning of our exciting strategy to re-package and re-launch GlenDronach in markets worldwide. We've taken it back to how it was originally, promoting it as one of Scotland's original sherried whiskies.
The name "Glendronach" is Gaelic for "the valley of the brambles" but there's nothing prickly about our three new releases. All have that distinctive sweet, sherried GlenDronach nose, with subtle hints of chocolate, ginger and autumn fruits.
The Sleeping Giant has Awoken
17.02.09
Many changes have been happening at GlenDronach over the past few months and exciting times lie ahead for the distillery.
Work has now started on a £250,000 development of the GlenDronach malt whisky brand.
We will be re-packaging and re-lauching GlenDronach in markets worldwide and will take Glendronach back to how it was originally, promoting it as one of Scotland's original sherried whiskies."
GlenDronach has been a sleeping giant for a number of years as it was not part of the previous owner’s expansion plans, however we are looking forward to breathing new life into it and giving it the attention and commitment it deserves.
We will be releasing a new core range in April 2009 which will comprise twelve, fifteen and eighteen-year-old malts. We will also be releasing a non-aged whisky, single cask bottlings and some incredibly rare vintage malts.
A major part of the quarter million investment is the development of a new Visitor Centre at the distillery, which
will be opening in 2009. We are completely re-vamping the original visitor centre and are creating a visitor attraction where both connoisseurs and those new to whisky can learn more about GlenDronach.