I discovered GlenDronach on Twitter, of all places, and learned that the distillery has been in business for almost 200 years. Founded in 1826, GlenDronach Distiller become the “largest duty paying distillery in the Scottish Highlands” in the 1860s. By 1920, the distillery was purchased by Captain Charles Grant, the son of the founder of Glenfiddich. After another change in ownership, GlenDronach was mothballed in 1996 until 2002. In 2005, the Chivas Brothers took ownership from Allied Distillers.
After all that, I was saddened to learn that no local liquor store carries them (at least the ones I visit regularly). They have several age expressions as well as special finishes (they may have been mothballed but the barrels were still waiting patiently it seems!):
- 12 Year: Described as Rich, creamy, silky-smooth. Warm, rich oak and sherry sweetness, full mouth feel, raisins, soft fruits.
- 15 Year: Described as Incredible concentration of aromas. Treacle toffee and chocolate orange.
- 17 Year: Described as Sweet aromatics of fudge and muscovado sugar. Fruit compote and glacier morello cherries provide added complexity.
- 33 Year: Described as An avalanche of chocolate and mocha coffee, laced with spices, pineapple and raisins.
- Sauternes Finish (14 yr): Described as Apple and rhubarb drenched in homemade custard, sweet deset wine with ripe sultanas and creamy heart.
- Virgin Oak Finish (14 yr): Described as Spiced ginger and cinnamon cake with a beautiful smoky twist.
- Moscatel Finish (15 yr): Described as Sweet summer fruits of melon and pineapple with sweet ripe raising and alcohol infused figs.
- Tawny Port Finish (20 yr): Described as Stewed fruits of prunes, pears and apples balanced with an injection of liquorice and aniseed.
If you’re a local Marylander (I live in Howard County) and know of a place that sells them (I can’t wait to find out they’re available in my neighborhood store and I just missed it), please let me know!
Some of your info is out of date. The Benriach Distillery recently purchased Glendronach and restarted operations. Since I’m seeing bottles here in California, it’s likely they are now being sold in Maryland.
For your update:
The GlenDronach’ve just enter Vietnam market & it consider as “the best of single malt”