Last week one of my readers, Ken, sent me a link to a Reddit post asking if I’d seen the post about GlenDronach now being chill-filtered. I haven’t been on any of the whisky Reddits in a long time (2017) so I didn’t see it, but clicking on the link I was surprised by what I saw.
The above photo is from the post and here you see two bottles of GlenDronach 12 side-by-side. One calls out the familiar and welcoming Non Chill-Filtered, but the other bottle is missing this familiar marking. NCF is a hallmark of GlenDronach, it’s something fans have long appreciated the brand for. There’s no way Brown-Forman would mess with that and no way Rachel Barrie would condone it… right?
Thinking this was just a typo I reached out to GlenDronach and this is what they had to say on the matter.
“The GlenDronach has removed ‘Non Chill Filtered’ from its packaging to provide the flexibility in their whisky-making processes to optimize consistently exceptional quality, flavor, clarity, and stability. The GlenDronach continues to be crafted to exceptional high standards and of true Highland style, perfect for slow maturation in sherry casks. The change does not affect the flavor of its richly-sherried Highland Single Malts which continue to be of natural cask imparted color from the sweet fruity flavors of the Pedro Ximénez casks or the dry and nutty notes of our Oloroso casks the Master Blender carefully selects. “
“Removed ‘Non Chill Filtered’ from its packaging”…. “clarity, and stability”… WTF? You don’t need to read between the lines to see that B-F has decided to chill-filter GlenDronach so they can start pushing hard for mass-market acceptance. What’s next? Drop the 12, 15 and 18 for NAS whiskies? Release some gaudy new bottle and label design? Attempt to turn this from a whisky brand into a lifestyle brand so they can chase after the fading myth of Macallan?
The only drinker “clarity, and stability” matter to are the uninformed/new drinker who doesn’t understand some harmless flocking. And, like so many brands before it, instead of taking the longer-term vision of consumer education, they’re taking the easy route and just removing the natural oils and fats. The sad purpose was now clear, but what wasn’t clear was how deep this went.
Was this new chill-filtering process only going to pertain to the core line? Would this new edict start messing with the GlenDronach Single casks or the Grandeur releases? How many more changes were coming? I reached back out and here’s what I got.
“We appreciate your interest! Yes, this relates to all GlenDronach’s core single malts other than Cask Strength and its Cask Bottling program. They have removed Non Chill Filtration to provide flexibility in their processes to optimize product quality, consistency, clarity, and stability.”
It looks like the high-proofed/cask strength releases (which include single casks) are remaining untouched for now (phew). Though that begs the follow-up of “for how long”? The reason whisky lovers have flocked to GlenDronach for so long is that the product quality and consistency was already there – no need to fix something that wasn’t broken. It’s long been a reliably bold whisky at a decent price. And now?
Now they risking alienating the core fans who’ve supported them for so long and helped bring the brand up to where it is today. I hope this is the end of the changes, but looking at the whisky market as a whole these days I doubt it. I just hope they don’t completely lose sight of what’s made them so loved while chasing that lifestyle brand Macallanization so many others have fallen into. It would be a shame and huge loss to whisky fans everywhere.
Not so fast Josh https://www.dramface.com/features/2022/glendronach-12-filtration
You say not so fast, but this was written years ago :D
It’s interesting what Hamish wrote, but that doesn’t mean the plan won’t change. The official line still is to give them flexibility, and so they could start tomorrow. I have a hard time thinking Brown-Forman handled its PR THAT poorly. It knows what it said and it knows what it can do now. So, it’s good to know what Hamish wrote, but that doesn’t change the entire circumstance.
Actually when GlenDronach Started chill-filtering?
Date of bottling is printed on the back of my bottle – indicates 2020/01/ 08.
Quite clear and transparent red brown.
Hi Miki, From what I understand it was mid this year. But if you have the tube, check to see if the words are on there or not.
I just bought a 12 yr. which said Non-chill filtered on the packaging cylinder. But I do not see any reference to NCF on the bottle. Where would it be on the bottle, and does it look like they have CF whiskey in NCF packaging???
It should be on the front label, but if it was on the cylinder then it should still be the NCF. Wouldn’t be legal for them to put CF in NCF packaging.
Thanks Josh,
Hanging out to see how the blind tasting will go.
Having already tried and enjoyed the Tamdhu 15 , I’ll go the Cask Strength.
I can walk into a shop …… actually…. no I can’t … We are still in rotten lockdown.
When it’s over I’ll pop into town and grab it. Aside from being available it’s over $50 cheaper than the GlenD. !!
OO ROO,
AL
The Cask Strength is great, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Fingers crossed you can do it soon. Cheers Allan!
G’day Josh,
A bit late to our ‘grumblefest’
I’d been chasing one for ‘yonks’ (donkeys years) finally managed to get it delivered early July. Should’ve ordered 2 but at $150 per bottle I thought better of it … damn! I have bought and enjoyed the 12 yr and might grab another to put aside. I can get the 15 NCF online but don’t know if I really want to shell out again. The 18 & 21 were always above my limit and hard to get so not worried about them. Part of me says go for it, the other says stuff them, go for something like the Tamdhu 15 or batch which are NCF and nat colour and a lot cheaper.
AL
Hey Allan,
Always love reading your thoughts on things. I really enjoy the Tamdhu 15 and would pick that over the GlenDo 15 at this moment. That said, we’re setting up a NCF vs CF blind tasting of the GlenDo to see if it really has made much of a difference.
That said, every batch of the Cask Strength Tandhu I’ve loved. So I can never not recommend them.
Cheers!
That’s exactly what I thought. Even if they don’t plan on lowering the ABV as of today they can always change their minds tomorrow and say they weren’t lying. After the great whisky and reputation they have created, it is absolutely indefensible for them to chill filter. Clearly yhey didn’t do it before for a reason. Now they’re going to try to pretend like their changing course for quality sake. It’s laughable!
100% Ben. Look at what Elijah Craig did with the 12. First they moved the 12 Years statement to the back of the bottle and released a statement saying it was staying a 12 yo for now. A short time later they changed it to NAS but, to your point, they weren’t lying because they didn’t change it… for a while.
Have you seen Ralfy’s video where he reads an email exchange between himself and a Glendronach rep on this issue? They were asking him to update the video he made about this topic when it was first realized that they removed NCF from the label because they said some of what he said was inaccurate. They are claiming that they won’t be lowering the ABV (which he never actually said they were, just that they might) but that seems to be the only positive thing. And who knows how long that will last.
I haven’t seen the video, but we’ll see what the future holds. They might not have plans at this exact moment, but give it 6-12 months and lets see what happens.
Here in Pennsylvania the pricing on Glendronach has been shooting up. The price on the 18 year old was $138 the last time I saw it. I now notice that Glendronach is being removed from the state liquor store system. I am guessing that the watered down version will soon replace the older style whisky. Luckily I have a couple of the good stuff stashed away. I won’t be buying anymore it seems.
I went all over town last weekend looking for the 15, 18 or 21 NCF. I couldn’t find any of them, just the 12. Glad you have some stashed away!
A turn for the worse
I recently heard that Glendronach was going to chill filtering and adding coloring. I had purchased a bottle of 15 year old a few weeks back. I quickly went to check it out, to make sure I got the “old style” bottling. Whew, the bottle was non- chill filtering and no E150a as far as I could tell. I find changes like these to be bogus. Hopefully the consumers will put their feet down and not purchase these new releases.
It sickens me when distilleries such as Highland Park start taking shortcuts on their whiskies. I haven’t bought HP in a number of years and don’t plan to buy again. Maybe they think they have fooled the consumer to buy an inferior product.
HP and Macallan have both lead the way in trying to change their brands from whisky brands to Lifestyle brands. Which is a massive shame, and will bite them in the ass when culture changes its ideals. Which has been proven over, and over, and over through the years.
Oh, and I think you have a good point about them possibly dropping the age statements. They have ready made names for the whiskies so they can drop the 18 from the label and just call it “Allardice” and say somewhere in market speak that the whisky “contains a high proportion of 18 yr whisky” or something like that so they can still charge a premium based on brand recognition without giving the consumer the assurance they are paying for a minimum of 18 yrs. Gosh, I am getting so annoyed just imagining this scenario as I type it. Sounds like some of those blended scotches you can buy: “Made from a high proportion of malt whisky.” Yeah, well what’s “high” in your book? 25%? 30%?
Looks like you’re reading the same writing on the wall I am. I’m going hunting this weekend for whatever NCF expressions I can find. The 15 is good, I think you’ll enjoy it when you try it! Cheers.
Been holding off on buying the 15 yr because it is pretty much always at least $90 wherever I see it but now that they have removed the NCF from the label and it seems like the writing is on the wall as far as the quality and ABV gradually decreasing, I decided to splurge and buy a bottle of the 15 while the NCF version is still available. Unfortunately, I can’t afford the 18 or 21 so will not be able to try those before the NCF versions go the way of the Dodo. Looking forward to opening the 15 though!