Introduction

This evening, I am posting information on GlenDronach Distillery near the village of Forgue in N.E. Scotland. Location is approximately thirty-six miles N.W. of Aberdeen.

Information on the distillery

Glendronach Distillery has a history dating back to 1826 subsequent to which it has been subject to numerous ownership changes. These culminated in a sale in 2016 to Brown Forman of Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.A. As a result GlenDronach is now in the same family as Jack Daniel’s and Benriach.

The Distillery has four stills (two wash and two spirit) and an annual capacity of 1.4m litres p.a. The majority of the spirit is sherry-cask matured. However, a small amount of peated whisky has been produced and matured in ex-bourbon casks.

The distillery equipment consists of a 3.7 ton cast iron mash tun, nine washbacks and two pairs of stills. Fermentation time is 60-90 hours.

Core single malt range comprises The Hielan 8 years, Original 12 years, Allardice 18 years and Parliament 21 years. There is also the Grandeur, age 25 years. The peated GlenDronach appeared in 2015.

GlenDronach malt is classified as Highlands Region.

There is a Visitor Centre and regular tours. The tours explain the malting, mashing, fermentation and distillation processes culminating in maturation. Tastings are available.

Draff is the residue which remains after the initial malting process. The product is rich in digestible fibre and also contains concentrated protein and oil from the malted barley. It is moist, pale to mid brown in colour and palatable to all types of ruminant stock.

Draff is an excellent feed for ruminants and contains a good source of digestible fibre and heat treated protein. Useful as either a forage extender or concentrate replacer. 4.5 kg can replace 1 kg of concentrate.

More information.

The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland incorporates a section on Scotland’s whisky distilleries. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. The book is also available on Kindle.