The GlenDronach is a Highland distillery that a partnership of local farmers led by James Allardice founded in 1826, as one of Scotland's first licensed distilleries.1,2,3 Its signature style comes from Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso sherry casks, and the distillery says Allardice was an early pioneer of sherry cask maturation.1,4,5 It was mothballed in 1996 and reopened in 2002.1,5,6Brown-Forman has owned it since 2016.1,2,5
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An irresistible nose of chestnut cream, coffee, honey and chocolate leads to a sublime, quintessentially Jerez palate of prunes, armagnac, tobacco and mocha.
Allardice founded it beside Boynsmill House, which dates from 1771.1,2,3 In 1837 a fire almost destroyed the distillery, and Allardice took on new partners, all local farmers.3,5 Allardice went bankrupt in 1842, and the company went into administration.5 Walter Scott, who came from Teaninich, bought the distillery and rebuilt it, though sources disagree on the year.1,5,6 In 1862 it was the largest duty-paying distillery in the Highlands.1
Sources disagree: when it opened. This page uses 1826.
Alfred Barnard's 1887 book described 2 old pot stills heated by furnaces and 4 washbacks.7 He also noted 2 worm tubs fed with water from the burn, a kiln heated by peat, and an output of 55,000 gallons a year.7 After Walter Scott died, a Leith partnership, Sommerville and Robertson, took it over in 1887 with Campbeltown distiller Duncan MacCallum.3,5,8 The government bought the distillery in 1916.5 In 1920 Captain Charles Grant, youngest son of Glenfiddich founder William Grant, bought the silent distillery and reopened it.1,5,9 He incorporated the Glendronach Distillery Company in 1927.8
Teacher's and Allied
William Teacher & Sons bought it in 1960, after 40 years in the Grant family.1,5,10 Two more stills were added in 1966, taking it from 2 to 4, with coal firing.1,5 Allied Distillers bought William Teacher & Sons in 1976, and the distillery passed to Allied with it.1,3,5 In 1980 its floor maltings, where soaked barley is spread out and turned by hand with rakes, were still working.6,10
Sources disagree: when Wm. Teacher & Sons Ltd. took over. This page uses 1960.
1960: The Glendronach, Historic Environment Scotland (trove.scot), ScotchWhisky.com (Whiskypedia), Wikipedia1,5
Mothballed, reopened, and sold
Allied mothballed the distillery in 1996, a temporary closure, and floor malting stopped.1,5,6 After 6 years of dormancy, it reopened to full production in 2002.1,5,6 In 2005 Pernod Ricard took over Allied, and the distillery passed to Chivas Brothers.1,8,11 That year it switched its stills from coal fires to steam heating.1,5,12 It was one of the last distilleries in Scotland to heat its stills with coal.
Next: Mothballed, reopened, and sold, BenRiach and Brown-Forman, How it makes its spirit
In 2008 The BenRiach Distillery Company bought the distillery from Chivas Brothers.1,5,9 Master blender Billy Walker was one of BenRiach's owners.1,5,9 In 2016 Brown-Forman bought The BenRiach Distillery Company, and with it the distillery.1,2,5 Brown-Forman made Rachel Barrie master blender after Billy Walker; the distillery dates this to 2016, while Whisky Advocate reported it in 2017.1,13 In 2022 Brown-Forman began a £30 million, 3-year expansion to double the distillery's production capacity.14,15 The plan also restores the former maltings building as a working production area.14,15
Sources disagree: when The BenRiach Distillery Company took over. This page uses 2008.
2008: The Glendronach, ScotchWhisky.com (Whiskypedia), Wikipedia1,5,9
It has 2 wash stills and 2 spirit stills.5,9 Whiskypedia gives its capacity as 1.4 million litres of alcohol a year; other sources give different figures.5,9,16 The distillery calls its stills saxophone shaped, while another source calls them onion shaped.4,5 It has 9 washbacks made of Scottish larchwood.4,5,17 Fermentation lasts 60 to 96 hours.5 Whiskypedia says its malt comes from Port Gordon maltings, while Wikipedia says it has its own floor maltings.5 Its malt is peated to less than 2ppm (parts per million).5 It uses standard condensers to cool the vapour from its stills.5 Wikipedia says it draws its water from the Dronac burn, while Whiskypedia names Balnoon Spring.5,7,9 The distillery describes its spirit as robust.4 Its kiln range, bonded warehouses, offices, former steading, and Dronach House have been Category B listed buildings since 1999.3,9
