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Forgue, Aberdeenshire · Highland

Glendronach

Gaelic · gleann
glen
valley
Traditional reading
dronach
Thornbush · Blackberry Bush

Valley of Stranglethorn. The distillery also introduces the Forg region where it is located under the name ‘Valley of the Brambles.’

The bush of the name strangely overlaps with the bramble, a blackberry-like black fruit, that appears in the official tasting notes.

Glendronach Aged 12 Years

Highland Single Malt · 43%Pedro Ximénez + Oloroso Sherry Cask
One thing to remember

‘Sherry cask’ is not just one flavor. Glendronach 12 combines two sherry casks: the sweet and rich Pedro Ximénez and the dry and nutty Oloroso.

PEDRO
XIMÉNEZ
RICH · SWEET
OLOROSODRY · NUTTY
Why it tastes like this
01 · Highland spirit

Start with a weight that will not be buried in the barrel

A heavy spirit is made using a Scottish larch washback and a copper still bent like a saxophone. It is the basis for balance with the rich sherry cask.

02 · Pedro Ximénez

I smell rich fruit and sweetness.

PX is a very sweet and spiritd sherry. These casks add aromas of raisins, dried fruit, dark fruit and deep color to Glendronach.

03 · Oloroso

Add dried nuts and spices

Oloroso is a dry sherry deepened by oxidative aging. Walnuts, roasted nuts, and warm spices outline the sweetness.

04 · Spanish sherry oak

The two barrels have different roles

If you only use PX, the sweetness and fruitiness may lean to one side. Oloroso's dryness and tannin combine to create a more three-dimensional sherry style.

05 · At least 12 years

Waiting in a traditional low warehouse

The spirit spends at least 12 years in oak barrels in a traditional Dungey aging cellar. The finished color is not a caramel coloring, but a natural color obtained from the cask.

06 · Balance

Sweetness and dryness meet in one bottle

Autumn fruits, chocolate praline, gingerbread and raisins, followed by orange and warm spices. It is the result of two sherry casks and a heavy spirit.

Flavour

Based on Glendronach Aged 12 Years.

Sherry 96Citrus 48Oak 82Malt 46Floral · vanilla 30Peat 4

The sherry shaft extends almost all the way and is supported by oak. The raisins and black fruits of PX and the nuts and spices of Oloroso are the defining notes of this bottling.

Citrus comes through to the middle with orange, but very little peat. Chocolate, gingerbread and warm spices come before flowers and vanilla.

This value is not a public composition table, but rather the sensory impression of the reference bottling transferred to the same six axes.

Particulars
Region
Highland · Aberdeenshire
Founded
1826
Category
Single Malt Scotch
Fermentation
Scottish larch washbacks
Stills
4 saxophone-shaped stills
Casks
Pedro Ximénez · Oloroso
Minimum age
12 years
ABV · colour
43% · natural colour
Signature notes
Raisin · praline · orange · spice
In detail

Local farmers led by James Allardyce established a distillery in 1826. Glendronach has placed the history of using sherry casks from Jerez for maturation at the center of its brand from the beginning.

The distillery closed in 1996, but production resumed in 2002. In 2005, direct coal fire, which had been maintained for a long time, was changed to steam heating. The current page focuses on wood washback, curved still, and sherry maturation that continue today rather than the direct fire of the past.

The richness of the 12-year-old product cannot be explained by the sweetness unique to PX. Oloroso's walnuts, dry spices, and weight of the spirit come together, leaving structure behind the chocolate and dried fruit.

Appendix

Glendronach is commonly referred to as the ‘Valley of the Thorns’. There is a clear connection between glen and the Gaelic word gleann, ‘valley’, but it is safer to read dronach as a traditional place name interpretation rather than assuming the exact spelling and form of dronach as a modern Gaelic word.

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