Sherry Crescendo

The Glendronach reaches new heights with its Raise Expectations” rebranding, setting a new standard for excellence both in taste and presentation to usher in an exciting era for whisky connoisseurs.

- Asaph Low

For a brand almost 200 years old, change means nothing new. After all, embracing change is one of the keys to a broader horizon the promise of a better tomorrow change has come in the form of a facelift, spearheaded by Scottish-born photographer and director John Rankin Waddell, otherwise mononymously known as Rankin. While he is best known as a portrait photographer whose subjects include Anya Taylor-Joy, Zendaya, Jay-Z, the late-David Bowie and Queen Elizabeth II, embarking on The Glendronach's rebranding project "Raise Expectations" was exciting for Rankin.

"I just loved the initial idea. I know the whisky sector well and this felt genuinely different and exciting to me. I also thrive off creating cultural collisions and finding beauty in the tensions they bring, plus - as a Scot by birth the idea of bringing flamenco to the Highlands stirred passion in me that I just couldn't resist," says Rankin.

If one is wondering why flamenco was mentioned, it has to do with The Glendronach's founder James Allardice's whisky making style maturing Highland-style whisky with the influence of Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso sherry casks sourced from bodegas of the Andalucian region of Spain. Rankin enlisted the help of solo Spanish and flamenco dancer Rocio Dusmet Orellana to The Glendronach located in the "Valley of the Brambles", for the filming of the "Raise Expectations" campaign video. Dressed in a flaming red dress and juxtaposed with the distillery grounds, Orellana signified the presence of sherry while her captivating and flamboyant choreography symbolised the complexity sherry imparts during the whisky maturation process.