How might an esteemed whisky behemoth affect what is contemporarily known as a “glow-up” when it has been around for nearly 200 years?
The Glendronach distillery has stood proudly in the Scottish Highlands, nestled in and protected by the ‘Valley of Brambles’ for two centuries.
Founder James Allardice introduced this whisky to the world in 1826 and since then, generations of artisans have remained dedicated to time-honoured methods, relying on intuition and their senses to raise expectations of what’s possible in whisky.
The key in presenting this whisky to modern drinkers lies in balance. It takes an adroit hand to take charge such a momentous task. History must be observed; the sanctity of tradition and the preservation of roots. Enter: Rankin. Probably the most well-known photographer today, his subject list reads like a Time 100. The video campaign was dubbed ‘Raise Expectations’ and it centred on the ‘sherry crescendo’ of Glendronach. There are three videos in all, each one a powerful visual metaphor that captures the essence of The Glendronach’s distinctive maturation process.
The single malt is slowly matured in the finest Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks sourced from Andalucia, Spain. This brings together a unique duality of robust Highland spirit and Spanish flair. And there is only one true medium with which one might encapsulate said flair—flamenco.
Flamenco dancer Rocia Dusmet Orellana paints the foreground with liquid zeal as the dram behind her splashes along with her flowing red dress. There is marked collision of cultures that somehow yields something akin to perfect fusion. This is all, of course, down to the brilliance of the director.
“As a Scot by birth, the idea of bringing Flamenco to the Highlands stirred a passion in me that I just couldn’t resist… Having worked on whisky before I’ve never seen anyone use this concept as a way of expressing or explaining that. If you get it right as an idea, it could be really visually very stunning.”
Rankin, Photographer
