A brief history and review of the GlenDronach 12-year-old Original

For the second stop dedicated to Sherry aged single malt, I am reviewing the GlenDronach 12-year-old Original. After looking at Billy Walker’s current whisky, it seemed only appropriate to look at one of the brands that cemented his name into the upper echelons of Scottish whisk. This distillery was at the top of the list for whisky fans for years under his stewardship. Recently the star of GlenDronach seems to have dulled a bit. Is this change in perception justified?

GlenDronach has an eventful if thorny history before reaching its moment in the sun after 2009. Founded in 1826, it was heavily damaged by a fire just 11 years later. After a couple of ownership changes it became part of Teacher’s in 1960. Teachers used GlenDronach as a main component in its Teacher’s blend. This was not enough to prevent closure from 1996 to 2001. In 2005 the distillery changed ownership once more, becoming part of Chivas (Pernod Ricard)  who didn’t hold on to it for long. In 2008 The distillery was purchased by the owners of BenRiach, led by Billy Walker. The new owners revamped the brand, putting single malt production front and centre, and made them one of the darlings of whisky aficionados. And yet in 2016, just 8 years later, it was sold again, this time to the American spirits giant Brown-Forman.

Older than stated

One of the aspects making GlenDronach appealing to whisky aficionados was the opportunity to sample whiskies that were much older than the stated age. GlenDronach was shut from 1996 to 2001, so no whisky was produced in those years. When the distillery was purchased by the BenRiach owners, the brand was relaunched in 2009 with the current core lineup of 12, 15, 18 and 21-year-old age-stated whiskies. 

Due to the gap in production, the last pre-2000 whisky available was distilled in 1995. That meant that the 12 year old sold at launch was really, at a minimum, 14 year old and was progressively older (up to 18 years old!). This was the case until 2014 when the 2002 made stock reached 12 years of maturation and could be bottled as such. The same, although with a shift of a few years, was true for all the other core line bottlings. Words of Whisky has a great article, and my main source for this information, goes into more detail and provides a clear overview of which releases were overaged. As of 2023, it is likely that all four of GlenDronach’s core releases are predominantly made with spirit of the stated age.

Chill-filtered kerfuffle

In 2020 Brown-Forman decided to remove the “non-chill filtered” statement which had been clearly stated under Billy Walker from all GlenDronach bottles. This launched accusations ranging from mild  “not being up with the times” complaints to right down indignation and accusations of Brown-Forman ruining the whisky. The new owners stated that some form of filtration was always part of production at GlenDronach. They argeue that the removal of the wording from the label was mainly to avoid issues with the Scotch Whisky Association. 

Dramface summarised many of the points in the discussion with this article, which, beyond the specific GlenDronach case, is worth a read to bring some extra perspective on chill filtration. Be as it may, not everyone was convinced by the argument. Rumbles about GlenDronach being a pale copy of its original self remain. Since I lack older samples to compare to the latest edition in this review of the 2022 GenDronach 12 year old Original, I am unfit to draw any conclusion. I can only reflect what I thought of the whisky as is. So let’s move to the review of the GlenDronach 12 year old Original as it stands today.

The GlenDronach 12 year old Orignal

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale golden amber

Nose: Intense and elegantly sherried. Almost pastry-like, loads of custard and nuts, with some dried fruit, apricots, cherries and raisins. On the back of this, there is a complex mix of caramel, spices and citrus, orange peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and maybe a touch of ginger. All together, it reminds me of a cola soft drink syrup. As it spends more time in the glass it becomes more fragrant, with crisp white fruit notes and a hint of mint.

Taste: thin and simple, malt, some ginger and cinnamon spice, some oak, a touch of mocha and that is it… 

Finish: Quite short and not particularly intense. Oaky, a bit of milk chocolate, dried apricots and raisins and a lingering nuttiness.

Conclusions

This is not a bottle I will replace. There is a promise on the nose, but it goes unfulfilled. On the palate it is thin and it reminds me of a 40% “standard” dram. I was hoping to have left experiences like this behind with my first “Glens”, but the great nose-disappointing palate curse strikes again. Maybe the chill filtration is to blame after all. Or maybe the reality is that the older stock is what made GlenDronach shine and today, back at what is probably a “real” 12-year-old, it is a nice but not great dram. Probably both play a role. 

Even if I cannot hide the disappointment, I am not closing the door to GlenDronach though. There is enough there to make me want to explore the brand further. The 15-year-old and Cask Strength might be a good start although I am tempted by both the 18 and 21-year-old. Though maybe not immediately. At those prices, maybe better be sure I enjoy GlenDronach.

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I always find it interesting, after writing my tasting notes, to look at other opinions. Here are a few other reviews of the GlenDronach 12-year-old Original I enjoyed:

Dramface comparing 2018 and 2021 versions of he 12 year old

The Dramble

The Whiskey Novice

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