Glendronach 2009

The crown jewel in the Brown Forman Scotch empire started life in 1826 near the village of Forgue in Aberdeenshire. A perfect spot, surrounded by farms eager to sell their barley to the distillery, which continues to this day. GlenDronach had an unsettled 90 years or so, with various owners and the menace of fire damaging the distillery. In 1960, William Teacher & Sons made the wise choice to purchase the distillery, which already had a reputation for using sherry casks. This only grew when an expansion to 4 stills was completed in 1966, despite being a rather unsightly extension amongst all the traditional buildings. A period of closure in the 90s to this day is being felt amongst supporting its age statements before new owners decided to sell to the Billy Walker consortium. Through his use of casks and special releases, a new generation fell in love with the whisky. An expanding range has been cut back by Brown Forman, who paid a sizeable fee to become the new owners of the distillery along with BenRiach and Glenglassaugh.