One of the most popular sherried single malt whiskies on the market, The Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old is the iconic cult core range expression from The Glendronach brand. A multi-award-winning release, the 15 Year Old was declared the ‘Best in Show’ whisky category winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2020).
Exploring the origins, expression name, distillery production, and tasting notes – this ultimate guide provides everything you need to know about The Glenronach Revival 15 Year Old.
What Kind Of Whisky Is The Glendronach 15 Year Old?
The Glendronach 15 Year Old is single malt scotch whisky, known for its heavily sherried rich style, originating from Scotland’s Highland whisky region. Matured in a combination of Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso ex-Sherry casks sourced from Spain, The Glendronach 15 Year Old is bottled at 46% ABV.
The original version of the Glendronach 15 Year Old, bottled at 40% ABV, was released in the early 1990s, when The Glendronach was owned by Allied Distillers – an innovation for the time due to the fledgling scotch single malt market, the expression was short-lived.
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In 2009, The Glendronach 15 Year Old was reintroduced, bearing the expression name ‘Revival’, as part of the brand’s new core range launched by Billy Walker following a takeover of the distillery by The Benriach Distillery Company.
Allegedly, Walker wanted to revive age statements originally used by William Teacher & Sons’ blends in the 1960s, but it quickly became an open secret that the age statement bottlings contained considerably older stocks – the peak for The Glendronach 15 Year Old was in 2015, when consumers were actually enjoying a 21 Year Old whisky.
The Glendronach’s growing popularity, combined with growing demand, prompted the Revival 15 Year Old expression to be discontinued in 2015, due to a lack of maturing stocks and preserving the older aged stocks.
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In 2018, The Glendronach 15 Year Old was revived once again, returning to the brand’s core range. Following the expression’s revival, The Glendronach 15 Year Old has proven to be a multi-award-winning release, including a gold medal from the International Wine & Spirit Competition (2019), and the accolade of ‘Best in Show’ whisky category winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2020).
Where Is The Glendronach 15 Year Old Produced?
The Glendronach Distillery situated near Forgue By Huntly, Aberdeenshire in Scotland’s Highland whisky region produces the brand, including the 15 Year Old expression. The Glendronach was founded by James Allardice in 1826, but the distillery was almost completely destroyed by fire in 1837.
After Allardice was forced into bankruptcy in 1842, The Glendronach passed between several owners including distilling and blending company William Teacher & Sons from 1960, becoming a key component of Teacher’s blends – although Glendronach had been used as a blending malt for blends including Ballantine’s from the late 1800s.
The Glendronach Distillery was mothballed between 1996 – 2002, before being acquired by French beverage company Pernod Ricard, which oversaw the modernization and conversion of The Glendronach from coal fires to steam-heated stills in 2005 – the last distillery in Scotland to make the change.
In 2008, The Glendronach was purchased by The Benriach Distillery Company, a venture by Master Distiller Billy Walker, and business investors beginning a renaissance at The Glendronach distillery – launching a new core range of bold, heavily sherried whiskies in 2009.
Following the distillery’s revival, ownership of the distillery passed to Jack Daniel’s Tennessee whiskey producer, Brown-Forman following the acquisition of The Benriach Distillery Company for £285 million in 2016.
The Glendronach produces an old-style whisky using traditional techniques perfected over 200 years, including a rake and plough mash tun and Oregon pine wooden washbacks. An oddly shaped wash still, and the plain sides of the spirit still, reduce the reflux ensuring The Glendronach produces a bold weighty malt, which is typically matured in ex-Sherry casks – the distillery’s signature whisky style.
Why Is The Glendronach 15 Year Old Named Revival?
The Glendronach 15 Year Old was named to symbolize both the revival of classic age statements used by William Teacher & Sons’ blends in the 1960s, and The Glendronach’s resurrection as a fully operational distillery. When Billy Walker’s Benriach Distillery Company bought the brand in 2008, the sale included 35,000 casks of maturing whisky.
Walker also put considerable effort into buying back casks from distilling companies including Beam Suntory and Pernod Ricard, who had purchased the casks to be used for blending. After launching the new Glendronach core range in 2009, the Benriach Distillery Company management originally estimated the range could be maintained with existing whisky stocks until 2023.
The whisky’s surging popularity quickly ensured demand outstripped supply due to a lack of maturing stocks. In order to preserve older age stocks for limited-edition and older age statement bottlings, The Glendronach 15 Year Old was discontinued in 2015 – while the brand’s 18 and 21-Year-Old expressions would only be released in small batches.
In 2018, the second revival of The Glendronach’s 15 Year Old was released but was bottled using single malt distilled after the distillery resumed production in 2002 – now containing whisky that matched the label’s age statement.
What Does The Glendronach 15 Year Old Taste Like?
The Glendronach 15 Year Old is a flavorsome, aromatic, and complex sherried malt, with notes of dark fruits, rich chocolate, and manuka honey. The expression’s official tasting notes from the brand’s website can be found below:
“Appearance: Antique Bronze.
“Nose: An intoxicating burst of maraschino cherry, ripe bramble, and dark chocolate mint, with hints of orange bitters and walnut liquor.
“Palate: Honey-glazed apricot and ripe fig with a crescendo of black cherry, angelica and muscovado.
“Finish: Long and enveloping finish with dark manuka honey, herbal bitters and dark chocolate.”
How Much Is The Glendronach 15 Year Old?
The average price for a 750ml bottle of The Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old is currently $109 on Wine-Searcher. If you’re based in California, the best place to find The Glendronach 15 Year Old is Malibu Liquor & Wine, Calabasas for $84.95. While in New York, the best place to purchase Revival is Grapes The Wine Company, White Plains for $84.99.
The Glendronach’s cult brand reputation as the quintessential heavily sherried Highland malt whisky contributes to the price point. Bottlings of The Glendronach’s core range bottled when it was openly known the batches contained older whisky than the advertised age statement have become highly sought after amongst the distillery’s enthusiasts – for The Glendronach Revival 15 Year Old, especially those bottlings just before the expression’s brief disappearance in 2015, when the whisky is believed to have been 20-21 years old.
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