Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt Scotch Whisky awards
Glendronach 21 Year Old Parliament Single Malt Scotch Whisky awards

Glendronach 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

$385.00
Overview

The GlenDronach 21 Year (previously known as Old Parliament) is, by any measure, one of the finest sherry cask whiskies produced anywhere in Scotland. This expression carries the weight of age, place, and tradition in every glass. It was named Best Highland Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards 2020, and the recognition was well-earned.

The GlenDronach 21 Year Old is matured for a minimum of 21 years in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez sherry casks - the two cask types that define Glendronach's signature style. At 48% ABV, bottled without chill filtration and with no added colouring, everything in the glass is a direct expression of wood, time, and spirit. The result is a deep, richly structured Highland malt: dark fruit, bitter chocolate, warming spice, and a finish that stays with you

Product Details

Product Details

Category Scotch Whisky
Style Highland Single Malt
Region Aberdeenshire, Scottish Highlands
Distillery The GlenDronach Distillery, Forgue, Huntly, Aberdeenshire
Founded 1826
Master Blender Rachel Barrie
Age Statement 21 Years Old
Cask Types Oloroso Sherry, Pedro Ximenez Sherry
ABV 48%
Bottle Size 700ml 
Country Scotland

Production & Craftsmanship

Style Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age Minimum 21 years
Distillation Pot still distillation at The GlenDronach Distillery, Aberdeenshire
Cask #1 Oloroso sherry casks (Spanish oak)
Cask #2 Pedro Ximenez sherry casks (Spanish oak)
Chill Filtration Non-chill filtered
Colouring Natural colour - no added caramel

 

GlenDronach's commitment to sherry cask maturation is total. The distillery sources its casks directly from Jerez, Spain - the region that produces both the dry, nutty Oloroso and the intensely sweet, raisin-rich Pedro Ximenez sherries that define the two cask types used here. Oloroso casks provide the structure: dark dried fruits, walnut, and a firm tannic spine. PX casks add sweetness and density - figs, dates, and molasses. The two work together to create something that is neither too sweet nor too austere, but genuinely complex. At 48% and without chill filtration, none of that complexity is stripped away before bottling.

Tasting Notes

NOSE - Elegant ripe autumn fruits with blackberries and red plums, enlivened by candied orange. Spiced oatmeal and toasted oak deliver weight and balance.

PALATE - Sip resolute flavours of fine sherry and bitter chocolate sauce poured on nutmeg and ginger-baked Victoria plum pudding.

FINISH - Long and warming. Dark chocolate, dried fruit, and baking spice linger comfortably, fading slowly with a gentle oakiness that speaks to 21 years well spent. One of the longest finishes in GlenDronach's core range - and one that makes putting the glass down harder than it should be.

Distillery Information

Glendronach was founded in 1826 by James Allardice near Forgue, by Huntly, in Aberdeenshire - making it one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland and the second to apply for a licence under the Excise Act of 1823. The distillery takes its name from the Dronach Burn, a stream that runs through the glen and whose soft, peat-tinged water feeds production to this day.

The distillery's history is long, shaped by fire, closure, and revival. After early hardship, it passed through several hands before William Teacher & Sons acquired it in 1960 and expanded production. A period of mothballing between 1996 and 2002 was followed by a revival, and in 2016 the distillery was acquired by Brown-Forman, the American spirits group behind Woodford Reserve and Old Forester. Under Master Blender Rachel Barrie, GlenDronach has continued to double down on its identity as one of Scotland's great sherry cask distilleries - a commitment that Parliament embodies completely.

The rooks, for their part, are still there. The parliament nesting above the distillery has been a feature of the GlenDronach landscape for as long as anyone can remember, and the birds give this expression its name and its quiet sense of belonging to the land.

How to enjoy

Pour into a tulip or Glencairn glass and give it a few minutes to breathe - 21 years in sherry wood have packed a lot into this whisky, and the nose rewards patience.

At 48% ABV, it's robust enough to take a few drops of water if you want to open up the sweeter fruit notes from the PX casks, but it's equally rewarding neat. Ice is unnecessary and will suppress the very flavours that justify the age statement. This is a sipping whisky built for unhurried evenings.

Why we curate it

Very simply, it could be one of the best whiskies we have ever tasted, made by Dr Rachel Barrie, perhaps (in our opinion) the best Scotch Whisky Master Distiller working today

  • The benchmark for what a long-aged sherry cask Highland malt can achieve - deeply flavoured, beautifully structured, and unmistakably itself
  • A whisky that rewards patience: both the 21 years it spent in cask and the time you take sipping it
  • An award-winning bottle backed by serious credentials - Best Highland Single Malt at the World Whisky Awards 2020
  • A non-chill-filtered, natural colour expression at a cask-strength-adjacent 48% ABV - no shortcuts, no additives
  • A genuinely special gift for anyone who loves sherried Scotch and wants something more serious an 18Year Old releases

The 21 Year Old sits at the top of GlenDronach's core range for good reason.