Tag: Glendronach

The Glendronach “Ode to….” series

Glendronach distillery has always had a loyal fan base; indeed, for those who enjoy the sherried-style of single malt Scotch whisky, Glendronach is one of the first distilleries that comes to mind.  Located in Huntly, just to the east of the Speyside region, it is one of the smaller and more traditional distilleries, but – as whisky enthusiasts have known for a long time – it punches above its weight.  So much so, its loyal fan base is a growing one.  And rightly so….

The distillery was founded in 1826 and so this year marks its 200th birthday.  The whisky community in Australia was privileged this July to have Dr Rachel Barrie, Glendronach’s Master Blender, visit our shores to help celebrate the occasion.   Having Dr Barrie in town, it was also a timely opportunity to shine a light on the distillery’s Master’s Anthology collection, perhaps better known amongst the punters as the “Ode to…”  series.

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Glendronach x Gildas

If you’re a fan of The Glendronach and you’re partial to Spanish cuisine, then you’re in for a treat!  For a very limited time, The Glendronach and Gildas Wine Bar in Sydney have teamed up to create a sensational combined tasting menu.  Here’s the background… 

If you had to describe The Glendronach and pigeonhole its whiskies into the most basic of styles, the word “sherried” would be the first word you’d reach for.  Glendronach is one of just a small handful of Scotland’s distilleries that champion sherry cask maturation, and their resulting malts showcase those classic sherried whisky flavours of dried fruits, spices, and Christmas cake.  With its strong connection to sherry, Glendronach is thus intrinsically connected to Spain. Sherry, of course, comes from Spain.  (More on that in a moment).  And that’s where Gildas fits in. 

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Glendronach – A new look

The Glendronach distillery was founded way back in 1826 and, like all of its contemporaries and peers, has seen many changes during its long history.  The last two hundred years of the Scotch whisky industry is a tale of booms and busts, ups and down; Glendronach has seen all those bumps and handled the waves with the best of them…including having parts of the distillery destroyed by fire back in 1837!   

2024 sees the distillery refresh its brand and labelling, opting for clean, pared-back packaging and an updated illustration of the bramble and rooks that surround the distillery.  (It’s often overlooked that many of Scotland’s distilleries’ names are gaelic descriptions of their geography and environment…Glendronach is Scots Gaelic for ‘Valley of the Brambles’).

What is of note with this refresh of Glendronach’s branding is that it appears to be limited to the packaging and labelling.  Unlike so many other recent brand refreshes by other Scotch whisky brands, the core range remains the same; the names are more-or-less the same; and the contents inside the bottle remain unchanged.  Fans of Glendronach – and there are many of us – can breathe a sigh of relief.

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Women in whisky

It’s probably been more than 25 years since the theme or topic of “women in whisky” first got written about in the modern circles of whisky publishing.  By which I mean the new wave of books and magazines that started to emerge in the 1990’s, and the endless number of blogs, forums, and social media outlets in more recent times.   Indeed, flicking through my old back issues of Whisky Magazine from the early 2000’s, it didn’t take me long to find articles, profiles, and feature pieces that all revolved around women and whisky, or women in whisky.

Issue 14 of Whisky Magazine in 2001 had a feature article on “Whisky’s Women”. This issue from 2004 featured three articles about women and whisky; similar themes were explored in a 2005 issue, “Women of High Spirits”, and a 2007 issue with “Driven Women”.

It is an interesting topic to write about in 2023.  In some ways, there is a valid sentiment that holds this shouldn’t be a thing anymore.  Afterall, we’ve had several decades now of articles, interviews, and profile pieces highlighting the wonderful work of female distillers, master blenders, brand ambassadors, writers, journalists, bartenders, visitor centre managers, mixologists, and so on.   Women are prolific in so many corners and reaches of the whisky industry these days, one could be forgiven for questioning if gender needs to be an issue anymore.  And yet…

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What makes a whisky a “Christmas whisky” ?

What makes a whisky a Christmas whisky?  Is it simply a whisky you receive as a gift for Christmas?  Is it a whisky that comes packaged in traditional Christmas colours, e.g. red, green, and white?  Or is it a whisky that smells and tastes like Christmas?   (Which begs the question: What does Christmas actually taste like?)

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Five whiskies for Christmas

Need a whisky for Christmas?  Once upon a time, whisky was whisky, and Santa wasn’t too discerning when it came to what special dram you left out for him on Christmas Eve.  But as for us consumers?  Well, Christmas = Christmas pudding, and that means dried fruits, raisins, dates, boozy prunes, butterscotch sauce, toffee, cherries, currants, cloves, cinnamon, and spices.  And THAT, my friends, means a Christmas dram has to be sherried!

Here are five sensational sherry-matured whiskies that will fit the bill this Christmas.  Four are regularly and widely available; one is an Australia-only exclusive….

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Now & Then: Comparing old bottlings with today’s counterparts

Now and then.  Ah, the joys of nostalgia.

If there’s a topic guaranteed to start an argument around the table, it’s when sports enthusiasts try to pick or assert that a particular sporting team from one era was superior to the team from another era.  For example, is the Hawthorn team from the 1980’s better than the Hawthorn team from 2013-2015?  Was Don Bradman’s 1948 “Invincibles” side a better cricket team than the all-conquering Steve Waugh side of 1999-2001? If the two teams were to compete against one another, who would win?

Sadly (or happily?) in the case of such arguments, it is all speculation and conjecture.  For, quite simply, we will never know.  And how do you compare teams across different eras when rules were different, playing conditions differed, and the level of athleticism and professionalism was different.  The discussion is nothing more than hypothetical amusement.

Increasingly of late, similar discussions and assertions are translating across into whisky circles.  For example, a commonly-seen thread in many online whisky groups or forums is the assertion that the whiskies of today are not as good as what they were 20 years ago.  Or that whiskies have changed over the years.

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Is whisky better or worse today than it was 20 years ago?

If you listen to enough drinkers who’ve been around a while, or read the writings of many in the whisky community, you might be led to believe that Scotch whisky being produced and released today is not as good as it used to be.  Is whisky better or worse today than it was a decade or two ago?

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The Whisky Show, Sydney, 2015

Sydney is spoiled for choice with a number of whisky expo-style shows running through town each year and May 15-16 saw The Whisky Show return to the Stamford Plaza hotel at Mascot to strut its stuff.

The Whisky Show offered three sessions; one on the Friday evening, and then 12noon-4.00pm and 5.00pm-9.00pm on the Saturday.  Of course, the Saturday sessions coincided with World Whisky Day, so it was a fine opportunity to celebrate the occasion.

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Glendronach vs Glenfarclas vs Macallan

[This article was originally written in 2015; it got a wee refresh in 2024 and again in 2026]  Glendronach versus Glenfarclas versus Macallan. Immediately, you’ve already chosen your winner. You’ve no doubt got your own favourite, and you’re probably even wondering how this could possibly even be a close race worth discussing!  Is there a rivalry between these three heavyweights?  Let’s dig a little deeper…

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