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KWM 2022 Whisky Calendar Day 16: GlenDronach 12 Year Old

Posted on December 16, 2022

BONUS CONTENT: Andrew's write-up for today is on our Compass Box Kensington Wine Market 25th Anniversary Blend. Read about it here!

by Evan

Welcome to Day 16 for the 2022 KWM Whisky Calendar! We have had a palate workout with two cask strength whiskies in a row over the past two days, so maybe we should go for something a little more approachable today? Let’s talk about the GlenDronach 12-Year-Old!

Even though the 12-Year-Old GlenDronach has been the distilleries flagship bottling for ages, it is an interesting bottle to get for this year’s Whisky Calendar. One of the reasons for this is that the 12-Year-old has not been steadily available in our market for a few years, up until very recently when it made a long overdue return.

Why was that? That story starts with GlenDronach being sold to Brown-Forman, which happened back in the spring of 2016. After the purchase of BenRiach, Glenglassaugh, and GlenDronach, Brown-Forman decided to change a few things regarding the distribution of their newly obtained Scotch Whisky brands in different regions. Mainly, they decided to bring their new brands into their own distribution portfolio. This move, unfortunately, left the Canadian company that imported the three brands, and that had worked with those three brands for years, high and dry. As sometimes happens when two companies don’t play nice with one another, a legal squabble came into play and one of the bottles that were contested was GlenDronach 12-Year-Old.

This dispute ended up keeping the GlenDronach 12 Year, and a few other bottles, out of the Canada and Alberta market for a few years. Brown Forman eventually worked around this by creating a GlenDronach bottling that was exclusive to Canada: A 2009 vintage 10 Year Old, bottled at 43%. It was a very good whisky, and we still sell the 10 year today, though it has just become a 2011 vintage which may be even better than the 2009.

On a more global scale, the bottlings of BenRiach and GlenDronach have also undergone some changes since coming under the Brown-Forman Umbrella. Billy Walker was in charge of all things coming from the distilleries for more than a decade up the sale, and he stuck around until about 2017 when he went out and purchased GlenAllachie Distillery and went to work reviving it in much the same fashion as he did with BenRiach, GlenDronach, and Glenglassaugh. Before Billy Walker left, he picked industry veteran and Master Blender Dr. Rachael Barrie to succeed him. Barrie has been in charge of all bottlings of GlenDronach, BenRiach, and Glenglassaugh since Walker left. Barrie was responsible for the very good 10-Year-Old Vintage GlenDronach bottlings we have been seeing in Canada to hold us over from the GlenDronach 12 Year Old’s absence.

Anyhow, if my memory serves, the GlenDronach 12-Year-Old was gone from the shelves in Canada for about two years or so; between 2020 and 2022. It just arrived back in stock early this spring. This mini bottle could be considered a re-introduction to GlenDronach, and perhaps a look into the whisky it is currently creating. Shall we give it a go?

GlenDronach 12 Year

Also available in full-size bottles

It's been years, but it is finally back in stock... bottled at 12 years of age and 43% after maturing in Oloroso & PX Sherry casks.

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Plenty of red fruits and dried fruit leather. Apples, strawberries, raspberries, raisins, dates, dusty oak notes and a powdered hot chocolate mix.

Palate: Silky on the tongue with notes of red velvet cake, raspberries, plums, more raisins and dates, dark chocolate pudding, and a dash of espresso coffee.

Finish: Smooth, warming, and full of fruit and milk chocolate.

Comment: This is a lovely sherried dram. Even at 43% it offers a good amount of body, texture, and poise. I wonder what would be like at 46% or higher...

This was a nice dram to revisit after it has been away for so long. The GlenDronach quality is still there, in my opinion!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2022

 

 

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