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The Story of Stronachie
The original Stronachie distillery was built in the 1890s. It was located in the Ochil mountains near the Perth & Kinross border. The only road in and out was a treacherous mountain trail that often became impassable in winter. Eventually, a private railway line was built to link the site with the nearest station at Milnathort. The distillery was in production for around 30 years before it was pushed into closure by the rising price of grain and coal. It was demolished in the 1930s.
During its short life, Stronachie achieved a modicum of success, thanks, in no small part. to a distribution deal with A. D. Rattray. Rattray was a Glasgow-based wine and spirits importer that specialised in blending the very finest Scotch whiskies. The company was founded by Andrew Dewar Rattray in 1868. Today it is owned by Tim Morrison (formerly of Morrison Bowmore Distillers), a descendant of Rattray himself.
Apparently, Mr Morrison was inspired to breathe new life into Stronachie after buying an old 1904 bottling at auction. A sample was drawn from the bottle and detailed analysis carried out in order to determine how best to recreate the flavour profile. In the end, whisky from the Benrinnes distillery in Speyside was deemed the best possible match. Stronachie was reborn as a single malt brand, available in both 10 and 18-year-old expressions. The 10-year-old is bottled at 43% and cost me a very reasonable £33.
The Whisky
Smell: Warm Malt & Biscuit on the nose with Fudge, Heather & Honey.
Taste: Malt & Honey, touch of Pear, Spice and Vanilla.
Thoughts: I’m something of a fan of Benrinnes and I often lament the lack of bottlings from that particular distillery. I sometimes struggle with the light, delicate Speyside malts but Benrinnes, and others like it, offer a much more robust take on the style. That’s at least partly due to worm tub condensers. They seem to add a certain meatiness to the spirit’s character. So with the lack of Benrinnes bottlings, it’s quite nice to have this 10-year-old available at just £33. It isn’t the best I’ve ever had from the distillery but it’s still more interesting than many similarly aged, similarly priced drams.
*If the whisky reviewed in this article has caught your eye, you can buy it from Master of Malt here. Please be aware that as an affiliate I can be paid a small commission on any purchases you make after following links from my page. The whisky is also available from several other excellent retailers.
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For more on A.D. Rattray & Stronachie…
4 thoughts on “Stronachie 10 Year Old”