GlenDronach Distillery Information
The GlenDronach distillery was founded in 1826 by GlenDronach Distillery Co.; a partnership spearheaded by James Allardice. GlenDronach is located in the Deveron part of the Scottish Highlands. More specifically, it’s located near Forgue, By Huntly in Aberdeenshire. The distillery was built in an existing estate called the Glen House, which was built in 1771, and converted to a distillery in 1826. Disaster struck in 1837 though, and a fire destroyed the distillery. It’s claimed this was due to a lack of oversight by management. For the time, though, fires erupting in distilleries were pretty common (imagine that. Open fires and alcohol vapors prior to the age of proper safety controls).
John Allardice went bankrupt in 1842, with the company being acquired by Walter Scott (who was a former manager at Teannich) and Alexander Ross. In 1887 GlenDronach was acquired by a consortium from Leith. In 1916, it was acquired by the Crown. The distillery then went silent for a while until 1920, when it was purchased by Captain Charles Grant, a son of William Grant (from GlenFiddich). He controlled GlenDronach until 1960.
In 1960, GlenDronach was sold to William Teacher & Sons Ltd, who doubled the production capacity of the distillery. At the same time, great care was taken to ensure the distillery could continue to produce their spirit in the traditional manner, with a malting floor, Oregon pine washbacks, their own peat-fired kiln, and stills fired directly by coal. Between 1866 and 1867, two additional stills were fitted, bringing the total to four (coal fired). In 1976, William Teacher & Sons Ltd are absorbed by Allied Breweries, who decided to mothball the distillery in 1996. During the silent period, in 2001 the malting floors were retired.
When all hope seemed lost for GlenDronach, in 2002, it suddenly sprang back to life, again ceasing producing to have the stills converted to indirect steam heating in 2005. In that same year, Allied Domecq (who acquired Allied Breweries) were taken over by Pernod Ricard, who in turn passed the distillery to their subsidiary Chivas Brothers. In 2008, the distillery passed hands again, this time to the BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. (who also own Benriach and Glenglassaugh). They’ve been investing heavily in the distillery since, releasing several new expressions.
GlenDronach Whiskies
GlenDronach prides itself on its richly Sherry flavored whisky.
The whisky produced at GlenDronach finds its way into blends. However, since its acquisition in 2008, more official bottlings have been released, including:
- 12 Year Old
- 15 Year Old
- 18 YEar Old
- 21 Year Old
- Cask Strength
There’s also a Wood finishes range, where different casks are used for finishing:
- Sauternes finish
- Virgin Oak finish
- Moscatel finish
- Tawny port finish
Lastly, there’s some limited editions:
- 1968 Recherché; limited to 632 bottles
- Single cask; a yearly release
- Grandeur 24 Year Old; matured in Oloroso casks
Distillery info:
Detail |
Information |
|---|---|
| Name | GlenDronach |
| Region | Highland |
| Country | Scotland |
| Logo |  |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Water source | Local sources |
| Malting floor | No |
| Owned by | The Benriach Distillery Company Ltd. |
| Address |
Glendronach Distillery +44 (0) 1466 730202 |
| Visitor centre | Yes |
| Website | http://glendronachdistillery.com/ |
| https://twitter.com/Glendronach | |
| http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Glendronach/399563343469642 | |
| Map |
Distillery Setup:
Component |
Capacity |
Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Mash tun | 3.72 tonnes | 1 (cast iron, rake-and-plough) |
| Washback | 18,125 litres | 9 (Oregon Pine / Scottish pine) |
| Wash still | 9,000 litres | 2 |
| Spirit Still | 6,000 litres | 2 |
| Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol) | 1,300,000 |
Images courtesy of the GlenDronach distillery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Glendronach was founded in 1826 by Glendronach Distillery Co., a partnership led by James Allardice. It’s located near Forgue, by Huntly in Aberdeenshire, in the Deveron part of the Scottish Highlands, built on an existing estate called the Glen House that dated back to 1771.
Yes. A fire destroyed the distillery in 1837, reportedly due to a lack of oversight by management, though fires were fairly common across distilleries at the time, given open flames and alcohol vapours before the era of proper safety controls.
John Allardice went bankrupt in 1842, and the company was acquired by Walter Scott, a former manager at Teaninich, along with Alexander Ross. A consortium from Leith bought Glendronach in 1887, followed by the Crown in 1916, after which the distillery went silent for a time until Captain Charles Grant, son of William Grant of Glenfiddich, bought it in 1920 and controlled it until 1960.
William Teacher & Sons Ltd bought Glendronach in 1960 and doubled its production capacity, while taking care to preserve traditional production: a malting floor, Oregon pine washbacks, its own peat-fired kiln, and coal-fired stills. Two more stills were added between 1966 and 1867, bringing the total to four.
William Teacher & Sons Ltd was absorbed by Allied Breweries in 1976, which mothballed the distillery in 1996. During this silent period, the malting floors were retired in 2001.
Glendronach revived in 2002, then briefly ceased production again in 2005 to convert its stills to indirect steam heating. That same year, Allied Domecq, which had acquired Allied Breweries, was taken over by Pernod Ricard, who passed the distillery to subsidiary Chivas Brothers. In 2008, ownership passed again, this time to the BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd, which also owns Benriach and Glenglassaugh, and has invested heavily in the distillery since, releasing several new expressions.
Glendronach prides itself on its richly Sherry-flavoured whisky.
The core range includes a 12, 15, 18 and 21 Year Old, plus a Cask Strength bottling. A Wood Finishes range covers Sauternes, Virgin Oak, Moscatel and Tawny Port finishes, alongside limited editions such as the 1968 Recherche, limited to 632 bottles, an annual Single Cask release, and Grandeur 24 Year Old, matured in Oloroso casks.
Yes, Glendronach has a visitor centre.