The Highland distillery famed for richly sherried single malts unveils two landmark expressions: a 30-Year-Old, composed from Pedro Ximénez, Oloroso and—debuting for the house—Amontillado casks; as well as a plush, velvet-textured 40-Year-Old, drawn from hand-selected Spanish oak sherry casks
The Glendronach Distillery has announced a duo of age-statement showpieces that underline nearly two centuries of devotion to sherry cask maturation: The Glendronach 30-Year-Old and The Glendronach 40-Year-Old, 2025 Edition. Each is a patient labour of time, drawn from the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses in the Valley of Forgue, crafted to showcase profound depth, texture and complexity.
The 30-Year-Old is billed as a “symphony” of the house’s most historic cask styles. Master Blender Rachel Barrie marries whisky matured in Pedro Ximénez and Oloroso with, for the first time at The Glendronach, spirit laid down in Amontillado—an addition that brings a refined layer of toasted hazelnut and mellow crème caramel to the distillery’s signature chorus of dark cherry, chocolate and spiced fruit. “Three decades of maturation have resulted in a sublime and charming Single Malt, with generous layers of rich and complex character,” Barrie notes. Presentation is suitably elevated: a stained Walnut Curl Veneer case engraved with 30 facets in tribute to the years in cask.
In the glass, the 30-Year-Old shows a dark-cherry-walnut hue; the nose leads with morello cherry, raisin and spiced Brazil-nut toffee, layered with marzipan and Medjool-date caramel. The palate is seductively smooth, building to a crescendo of glazed cherry and sultana cake, cinnamon raisin-nut toffee and chocolate-hazelnut café crème. The 30-Year-Old is bottled at 46.8 per cent ABV.
Positioned at the pinnacle of the distillery’s art is none other than The Glendronach 40-Year-Old. Composed from a small number of hand-selected casks, the whisky has been married and refined over four decades in the finest Spanish-oak Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks for a notably plush, velvet texture. “At forty years old, it represents four decades of sherry cask refinement, polished by time… It is a privilege to be the custodian of such remarkable casks,” remarks Barrie. The bottle arrives in an elegant dark-stained rosewood presentation box with brass handles on a golden plinth.
Expect an intense black-ochre colour, with luxurious black cherry, stewed plum and blackberry on the nose, layered with sherry-soaked chocolate gâteau and an aromatic café elixir. The palate delivers an intense crescendo of blackcurrant and bramble compote with luscious prune and raisin wine, interwoven with velvety cinnamon-laced chocolate espresso. The 40-Year-Old is bottled at 43.9 per cent ABV.
Interested? Both expressions are now available for purchase via Malt Wine Asia. For collectors and committed sherry-cask devotees alike, this is The Glendronach raising expectations—again.
