Glendronach distillery is a Scottish

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden c ...

distillery located near

Forgue Forgue is a hamlet in Aberdeenshire. It lies northwest of Aberdeen and northeast of Huntly. The Glendronach distillery is located in Forgue. Notable residents * George Bartlet, Dean of Aberdeen and Orkney * Sir George Stuart Forbes, Indian ...

, by

Huntly, Aberdeenshire Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

, in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

whisky district. It was owned by the BenRiach Distillery Company Ltd. The name Glendronach derives from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

''Gleann Dronach'' which means "valley of the brambles" or "valley of the blackberries". The distillery was founded in 1826 by James Allardes (referred to often as Allardice) as the second distillery to apply for a licence to legally produce whisky under the Excise Act of 1823, which passed three years earlier and which allowed for the distilling of Whisky in Scotland. Other sources credit a consortium of farmers and businessmen for the foundation of the distillery though this could include Allardes. The Glendronach distillery was purchased by Teachers and Sons Ltd around 1960 who increased the number of stills from two to six. In 1996 the distillery was mothballed and reopened again in 2002 by Allied Distillers Limited. In 2006 the distillery passed into the hands of Chivas Brothers Ltd (part of the Pernod Ricard group) and in 2008 it was sold to the BenRiach Distillery Company. Other notable owners include Walter Scott, who acquired it in 1881 and Charles Grant, son of the founder of the

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...

distillery, in 1920. The distillery draws its water from the Dronac burn within the distillery grounds. It has its own floor maltings and two wash stills in addition to two spirit stills. The distillery is protected as a

category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. In April 2016 Glendronach Distillery was purchased by the Brown-Forman Corporation. The deal included BenRiach and Glenglassaugh distilleries. The core range of whiskies consists of expressions matured in ex-sherry casks, in particular oloroso and PX.

References

External links

Official Glendronach website.
* Distilleries in Scotland Companies based in Aberdeenshire Food and drink companies established in 1826 1826 establishments in Scotland Category B listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Listed distilleries in Scotland Brown–Forman {{whisky-stub