Glendronach distillery is a Scottish

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

distillery located near Forgue, by

Huntly, Aberdeenshire Huntly ( or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlements include Keith, M ...

, in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

whisky district. It is owned by the Brown–Forman Corporation. The name Glendronach derives from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic (, ; Endonym and exonym, endonym: ), also known as Scots Gaelic or simply Gaelic, is a Celtic language native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a member of the Goidelic language, Goidelic branch of Celtic, Scottish Gaelic, alongs ...

which means 'valley of the brambles' or 'valley of the blackberries'.

History

The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Allardes (referred to often as Allardice) as the second distillery to apply for a licence to legally produce whisky under the Excise Act 1823, which passed three years earlier and which allowed for the distilling of whisky in Scotland. Other sources credit a consortium of farmers and businessmen for the foundation of the distillery though this could include Allardes. Notable owners include Walter Scott, who acquired it in 1881 and Charles Grant, son of the founder of the

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich distillery () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky distillery located in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray, Scotland. Is owned by William Grant & Sons. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhai ...

distillery, in 1920. The Glendronach distillery was purchased by William Teacher & Sons in 1960 who increased the number of stills from two to six. It was sold in 1976 to the company that would become

Allied Domecq Allied Domecq PLC was a multinational company, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, that operated spirits, wine, and quick service restaurant businesses. It was once a FTSE 100 Index constituent and the world's second-largest spirits gro ...

. In 1996 the distillery was mothballed and reopened again in 2002 by Allied Domecq. In 2006 the distillery passed into the hands of Chivas Brothers Ltd (part of the

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

group) and in 2008 it was sold to the BenRiach Distillery Company. In April 2016 Glendronach Distillery was purchased by the Brown–Forman Corporation. The deal also included BenRiach and Glenglassaugh distilleries.

Production

The distillery draws its water from the Dronac burn within the distillery grounds. It has its own floor maltings and two wash stills in addition to two spirit stills. The distillery is protected as a

category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The core range of whiskies consists of expressions matured in ex-sherry casks, in particular oloroso and PX. The common exploration is 12 years, 15 years, 18 years, and 21 years.

References

External links

Official Glendronach website.
* Brown–Forman Distilleries in Scotland Scottish malt whisky Listed distilleries in Scotland Food and drink companies established in 1826 1826 establishments in Scotland Companies based in Aberdeenshire Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire {{Whisky distilleries in Scotland