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Tuesday, 28 November 2023

SCOTCH WHISKY SURGES IN 2022

 SCOTCH WHISKY ASSOCIATION: FACTS AND FIGURES 2022

 

Facts & Figures

53 bottles of Scotch Whisky are exported every second to markets all over the world! There’s more about the amazing stats behind the industry.

·       53 bottles (70cl @40% ABV) of Scotch Whisky are shipped from Scotland to around 180 markets around the world each second, totalling over 1.6bn every year

·       Laid end to end those bottles would stretch about 467,000kms -  that's more than 11 times around the Earth!

·       In 2022, Scotch Whisky exports were worth £6.2bn.

·       In 2022, Scotch Whisky accounted for 77% of Scottish food and drink exports and 25% of all UK food and drink exports

·       In 2022, Scotch Whisky accounted for 26% of all Scotland’s international goods exports and 1.5% of all UK goods exports

·       The Scotch Whisky industry provides £5.5bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy (2018)

·       More than 11,000 people are directly employed in the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland and over 42,000 jobs across the UK are supported by the industry

·       7,000 of these jobs in rural areas of Scotland providing vital employment and investment to communities across the Highlands and Islands

·       Around 90% of barley requirements of the industry are sourced in Scotland

·       In 2019, there were 2.2 million visits to Scotch Whisky distilleries, making the industry the third most popular tourist attraction in Scotland

·       Some 22 million casks lie maturing in warehouses in Scotland waiting to be discovered - that is around 12bn 70cl bottles

·       To be called Scotch Whisky, the spirit must mature in oak casks in Scotland for at least 3 years

·       148 Scotch Whisky distilleries are currently operating across Scotland as of October 2023.

All figures relate to Jan-Dec 2022 unless stated otherwise.

Scotch Whisky Exports Over £6bn for First Time


Post-pandemic restocking, the return of Global Travel Retail and premiumisation trends all contributed to growth in volume and value for Scotch Whisky in 2022.

Global exports of Scotch Whisky grew to more than £6bn for the first time in 2022, according to figures released today by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA). 

In 2022, the value of Scotch Whisky exports was up 37% by value, to £6.2bn. The number of 70cl bottles exported also grew by 21% to the equivalent of 1.67bn.

The Asia-Pacific region overtook the EU as the industry’s largest regional market, with double-digit growth in Taiwan, Singapore, India and China as the post-Covid recovery continued.  

While established EU markets such as France, Germany and Spain continued their post-pandemic bounce-back with strong growth in 2022, India replaced France as the largest Scotch Whisky market by volume. Despite double digit growth, Scotch Whisky still only comprises 2% of the Indian whisky market. SWA analysis shows that a UK-India FTA deal which eases the 150% tariff burden on Scotch Whisky in India could boost market access for Scotland’s whisky companies, allowing for an additional £1bn of growth over the next five years.

In North America, the United States continued its recovery following the impacts of tariffs on Single Malt Scotch Whisky to again be the industry’s only market with exports valued over £1bn. Both Mexico and Canada also saw growth, underlining the importance of securing further market access wins through the renegotiation of the UK’s Free Trade Agreements with both countries.

In 2022, the industry benefited from the full re-opening of hospitality businesses in key global markets, as well as the return of global travel retail which opens such an important window for Scotch Whisky to business and leisure travellers. Exports were also boosted by the continued premiumisation trend, with consumers attracted to high-quality spirits like Scotch Whisky, now often enjoyed in longer serves as well as the more traditional dram.

Looking ahead, the industry will have to continue to navigate economic headwinds, including global inflationary pressures, domestic energy and business costs, and a reduction in consumer confidence. With the right support from home governments, SWA is confident that the industry can continue to deliver for the Scottish and wider UK economy. SWA looks forward to collaborating with government and regulators on initiatives including sustainability and responsible drinking, alongside work to further boost exports, creating jobs and investment in communities across the country.

By reducing tariffs through the UK-India free trade agreement, continuing the duty freeze in the March budget, and ensuring the industry’s continued ability to advertise our world-class product in our home market, the Scottish and UK governments can count on the Scotch Whisky industry to reinvest its success across the UK.

Summary  

·      Export value of Scotch Whisky in 2022 was £6.2bn, up £1.68bn compared with 2021 and £1.28bn compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic)

·      Export volume of Scotch Whisky in 2022 was 1.67bn 70cl bottles (equivalent), up 291m 70cl bottles compared with 2021 and up 364m compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic)

·      On average, the equivalent of 53 bottles of Scotch Whisky are exported every second – up from 44 per second in 2021

·      Scotch Whisky was exported to 174 global markets in 2022

·      India overtook France to be the industry’s largest global market by volume for the first time - the volume of Scotch Whisky exports to India have grown by more than 200% in the past decade alone. India is the largest whisky market in the world but Scotch Whisky has just a 2% share of the Indian whisky market. The SWA believes that reducing the 150% tariff in India could increase the value of exports to the market by £1 billion over five years.

·      The United States recovered to reach over £1bn of exports – the first time since the 25% tariff on Single Malt Scotch Whisky was suspended (£1.06bn in 2019)

·     Bottled Blended Scotch Whisky accounted for 59% of value exports, with Single Malt 32% all Scotch Whisky exports by value.

Top 10 Markets  

The largest export destinations for Scotch Whisky (defined by value) in 2022 (vs 2021) were:  

·      USA: £ 1,053m +33% (£790m in 2021) 

·      France: £ 488m +26% (£387m in 2021) 

·      Singapore: £316m +50% (£212m in 2021) 

·      Taiwan: £315m +39% (£226m in 2021) 

·      India: £282m +93% (£146m in 2021) 

·      China: £233m +18% (£198m in 2021) 

·      Panama: £203m +165% (£77m in 2021) 

·      Germany: £202m +36% (£148m in 2021) 

·      Japan: £175m +32% (£133m in 2021) 

·      Spain: £173m +46% (£118m in 2021) 

The largest export destinations for Scotch Whisky (defined by volume, 70cl bottles equivalent) in 2022 were:  

·      India: 219m bottles +60% (136m bottles in 2021) 

·      France: 205m bottles +17% (176m bottles in 2021) 

·      United States: 137m bottles +9% (126 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Brazil: 93m bottles +14% (82 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Japan: 75m bottles +33% (56 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Germany: 67m bottles +48% (46 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Spain: 67m bottles +39% (48 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Poland: 49m bottles +9% (45 m bottles in 2021) 

·      Mexico: 48m bottles +2% (48 m bottles in 2021) 

·      South Africa: 39m bottles +15% (34 m bottles in 2021) 

Regional Data

In 2022, Scotch Whisky exports by global region (defined by value) were:

  • ·       Asia Pacific: £1818m +50% vs 2021 (29% of global exports)
  • ·       European Union: £1596m +17% vs 2021 (26% of global exports)
  • ·       North America: £1327m +32% vs 2021 (21% of global exports)
  • ·       Central and South America: £737m +66% vs 2021 (12% of global exports)
  • ·       Middle East and North Africa: £326m +74% vs 2021 (5% of global exports)
  • ·       Sub-Saharan Africa: £204m +30% vs 2021 (3% of global exports)
  • ·       Western Europe (ex EU): £146m +49% vs 2021 (2% of global exports)
  • ·       Eastern Europe (ex.EU): £39m -18% vs 2021 (0.6% of global exports)

Category Data

In 2022, Scotch Whisky exports by category (defined by value) were:

  • ·       Bottled Blend £3670m +43% vs 2021 (59% of global exports)
  • ·       Single Malt £1986m +30% vs 2021 (32% of global exports)
  • ·       Bulk Blend £190m +13% vs 2021 (3% of global exports)
  • ·       Bottled Blended Malt £140m +22% vs 2021 (2% of global exports)
  • ·       Bulk Blended Malt £130m +37% vs 2021 (2% of global exports)
  • ·       Bulk Single & Blended Grain £58m +39% vs 2021 (1% of global exports)
  • ·       Bottled Single & Blended Grain £19m +150% vs 2021 (0.3% of global exports)


Saturday, 18 November 2023

CHIVAS BROTHERS IN ASIA

 CHIVAS PULLS AHEAD IN 2022

Chivas Brothers, the Scotch Whisky arm of French Alco-Bev major Pernod Ricard announced its FY23 full-year performance with net sales up +17 per cent, taking total sales to a ten-year high. The results demonstrate ongoing strong global demand for Scotch and reinforce the company's long-term premiumisation strategy.

Alongside this positive growth, Chivas Brothers also announced more than £60 million in planned investment over the next three years to accelerate its energy and carbon reduction journeys to achieve carbon neutral distillation by the end of 2026. It follows the company's move to make its heat recovery technology learnings open source for the industry, after proving successful at Glentauchers distillery, with a 53 per cent reduction in carbon emissions at this site alone.


Chivas Regal celebrated global growth of +25 per cent with impressive performance in markets such as India and Japan. The brand's success was driven by its core aged range, with Chivas Regal 18 the leading 18-year old blended Scotch globally by both volume and value in calendar year 2022, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis 2022. Chivas Regal was also the leading contributor to Pernod Ricard Group growth in FY23.

The Asia region has been particularly robust, with +21 per cent growth in FY23, and the number one contributor to growth overall. India (+27 per cent), South Korea (+19 per cent), Japan (+28 per cent) and Greater China (+7 per cent) have also seen exceptionally strong performances and are driving demand with new Scotch audiences. China is a vast market for Johnnie Walker.

Chivas Brothers plans to introduce premium and super-premium brands from its global portfolio in India, riding on the premiumisation trend in the region. India with its growing whisky consumer base can potentially be the largest market for the global inc.

India is the biggest whisky market in the world with over 25 million new consumers entering the space every year, and can well be a ‘unique and game-changing’ market. The company has witnessed a 13-15 per cent constant CAGR over the last five years. In FY23, it reported 27 per cent growth in India.

The makers of Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, and Royal Salute will be introducing new variants and matured malts of its Glenlivet brand, which is fruitier, smoother and tropical flavor-laden and and has the type of aromas dedicated to the southern part of India. It will also be launching a new expression of 100 Pipers in India, in the premium segment.

In total, Chivas Brothers has 40 odd Scotch Whisky brands, and only 7-8 are currently present in India, hence there is room for growth in the Indian market, both mid-range and premium. The innovations of Glenlivet, popular in both the EU and the USA, will now reach Indian shelves.

Today, India is one of Chivas Brothers top three markets and at par with France. The CAGR rate is sustainable, driven by growth in the premium and super premium category. Chivas is also building brands, supply chain, and inventory in the region. The company is seeing growth to be more value-driven than volume-driven as consumption has ramped up with premiumisation taking centre stage. Both Ballantine’s and Chivas saw a very strong growth. The higher the age profile of the whisky or the premium-ness (to coin a word) the stronger the growth has been. On the India-UK FTA negotiations, Chivas believes that though the company does not define its strategies according to the FTA, it will be an ‘excellent’ addition as it can help to offer much better Scotch Whisky at more affordable prices to consumers in India and will be a “huge benefit.”

Ballantine's grew by +13 per cent in FY23, driven by particularly strong growth in its prestige range, which exceeded that of the total Prestige and Prestige Plus Scotch category, according to IWSR in 2022. Ballantine's 21 and Ballantine's 17 have been the key drivers alongside Ballantine's Finest, with the Asia region excelling during this fiscal.

Royal Salute recorded a significant +32 per cent, growing ahead of the Prestige and Prestige Plus Scotch category by both value and volume in 2022-23, as the brand continues to elevate through exclusive luxury releases such as the Royal Salute Coronation of King Charles III Edition.

         

The Glenlivet continues its upward trajectory with +9 per cent growth and was the best-selling single malt by volume in 2022, according to the IWSR4, setting the brand in strong stead for its 200 year anniversary in 2024. This has been driven by significant demand for its Super Premium and Ultra Premium ranges in an already competitive category, with balanced growth across the brand's global footprint.

Specialty brand Aberlour, part of the broader Chivas Brothers single malt brand portfolio, also grew +11 per cent in the highly competitive malts category.

     

Thursday, 16 November 2023

FIRST DISTILLERY ON ISLE OF HARRIS

 THE HEARACH FINALLY MAKES ITS DEBUT

      

Scotland's Isle of Harris Distillery has finally launched its inaugural single malt whisky. The whisky – called The Hearach, after the Scottish Gaelic name for a native of Harris – is the first legal whisky to be produced on the island and has been distilled, matured, married, and bottled on-site.

The Hearach is the first to revive the distilling traditions lost during the Pabbay clearances of the 1840s. The dram is the result of a considered conversation between people and place, coming together to create an elegant spirit of complexity and character. The work of the island's men and women intertwines with the natural world to weave together an Outer Hebridean whisky of distinction. Every drop of this new dram is being distilled by local people to produce a special spirit which has been matured, married, and bottled here in this elemental place, and nowhere else. The Hearach is bottled at 46% abv, non-chill filtered, and free from artificial colouring.

It was officially launched during an event at the distillery in Tarbert on 22 Sep 2023. A village cèilidh with live music played, with the whisky available to buy at the event and at village bars from 7pm that night. The Hearach then went on free sale from 10am GMT on Saturday 23 September at the distillery shop and at harrisdistillery.com, before being made available at specialist retailers in the UK and globally in subsequent months.

The bottle – created by specialist spirits design agency Stranger & Stranger – was first revealed then. It’s been 15 years since Burr Bakewell formed the Isle of Harris Distillery Company, and they always said that the whisky would be ready when it’s ready, so it was a big moment to finally announce a launch date, on the distillery’s eighth birthday.

The Hearach’s launch, eight years after the distillery opened, is a tribute to the efforts and support of many people: the designers and builders of the distillery, the countless people from the island community and beyond who gave support over the years, investors who supported a long-term vision of regeneration predicated on the creation of a distinctive whisky, and the team that brought the distillery to life who, notwithstanding the many challenges, have remained passionately focused on achieving product and service quality – now embodied in The Hearach single malt.

THE INFLUENCE OF AN ISLAND

The owners believe that the water, sourced from Abhainn Cnoc a’ Charrain, is the softest of any Scottish distillery. Only very low sodium and chlorine minerals are measured, likely derived from the sea spray that blows over our village isthmus.

The rivers and streams of north Harris flow over Lewisian gneiss, some of the oldest rocks on earth, dated by radiometric techniques at between 2.4 billion and 2.6 billion years old. Its hardness helps ensure the extremely low minerality of the source water.

After longer fermentations and hands-on distillation in bespoke copper stills, the oak casks, chosen when visiting Kentucky and Spain, are brought to use. The chaos in the casks then ensues by the shores of the Atlantic, near the west-coast village of Ardhasaig. Despite the northerly latitude, the island’s oceanic climate benefits from the currents of the Gulf Stream. This system keeps seasonal temperatures remain remarkably stable, which benefits the maturation process.

The final, hard to define, element of our whisky making is the natural way of working which requires patience, from fermentation to marrying. This is a slow whisky and the hierarchy looks forward to sharing it at a different pace.

Every bottle is presented in bespoke packaging. The box is debossed throughout including a Gneiss rock pattern taken from stone near the water source on the front panel. The bottles, designed by world-leading agency Stranger & Stranger, will be accompanied by the personal tasting notes of someone from Harris, with different batches offering slightly different tastes depending on the marrying period and variations in individual casks. Photographs of people from Harris feature on the reverse panel. There are four combinations and panels are allocated to bottles at random. The inner panels contain a poem/song in Scottish Gaelic called 'Eilean Na Hearadh' (Isle of Harris). A small booklet is enclosed containing the story of the whisky.

To reduce waste of materials, a bottle coaster is also included, made from excess materials created during the production process. All packaging is 100% recyclable including the biodegradable tamper-proof seal.

On 23 September 2023, Isle of Harris Distillers launched its long-awaited single malt Scotch whisky, The Hearach, to record queues at the distillery in Tarbert and online – where stock sold out in just four and a half hours.

25,000 eager purchasers joined the online queue to bag the first eight batches of The Hearach until supplies were exhausted after just 4.5 hours. At the same time, one thousand people queued happily outside the distillery for up to three hours to buy a first release bottle, travelling from as far away as Canada for the occasion. Local man, Murdo MacLeod was first in the queue having camped out since 2am that morning and becoming the first Hearach to purchase The Hearach at the distillery.

Those who missed out on purchasing The Hearach on launch weekend are, however, still in with a chance of becoming part of whisky history, with specialist retailers and bars and restaurants across the UK putting The Hearach on sale from October 2023. International markets will follow later, with The Hearach available in over 20 countries globally. Meanwhile, visitors to the distillery will be able to purchase The Hearach while stocks last.

The first whisky released by Isle of Harris Distillers, The Hearach is an elegant, highly drinkable single malt, with fruit and floral notes and a long, slightly smoky, finish. The whisky, handcrafted by a team of locals from Harris, has been distilled, matured (in first-fill bourbon, oloroso and fino sherry casks), married and bottled (at 46% ABV) on the island.

The distillers describe it as ‘complex and utterly delicious’, reflecting in part its use of the softest of water and the Harris climate, second to none for the maturation of spirit. The launch of The Hearach follows the success of the Isle of Harris Gin, which is now available in 25 countries worldwide and recently celebrated its one millionth bottle coming off the production line at the Tarbert distillery.

Conceived by Anderson Bakewell, who has a 50-year relationship with Harris, the distillery opened in 2015 to act as a symbol of hope and optimism for the Harris community - creating sustainable jobs for local people and supporting the wider island economy for generations to come. Starting life with a team of just 10 locals, today the distillery family numbers some 48 full-time staff. The Hearach single malt whisky, supported by Isle of Harris Gin, will enable the distillery to continue supporting the local community and provide exciting job opportunities for islanders.

The Hearach has an RRP of £65/-








Thursday, 2 November 2023

LVMH MAKES SCOTCH PRICES SKYROCKET

LVMH UPS GLENMORANGIE SINGLE MALT SCOTCH WHISKY PRICES

                                                          FIRST POSTED IN 2009 FOR COMPARISON

THE LASANTA

The last phase in the production of Scotch whisky is the maturation of the new make in wooden barrels. The result is called wood-finished whisky, because it picks up distinctive flavours from the barrel wood. Wood-finishing has been the hottest trend in Scotch for the last few years. Often the results are sweeter and fruitier than traditional Scotch and more appealing to people who are new to its craggy style, but connoisseurs also are attracted by wood finishes because they can show a surprising new side to a well-known brand. Glenmorangie has been the best selling single malt in Scotland almost continuously since 1983, and produces around 10 million bottles per annum, of which 6 to 6.5 million are sold in the UK.

Glenmorangie Distillery is located in the Northern Highlands Scotch distillery section of Scotland, UK, 65 km north of Inverness, overlooking the lonesome waters of Dornoch Firth. It claims credit for the popularisation of the idea of 'finished malt whisky' - although it is not certain if they were also the first to apply the technique of double maturation in another cask. Macallan and Balvenie are also well established promoters of 'finishing malt whisky' in a cask that housed another spirit.

According to the Glenmorangie Company, the earliest record of the production of alcohol at Morangie Farm owned by the eminent Matheson family is dated 1703. In the 1730s a brewery was built on the site that shared the farm's water source, the Morangie Burn.

Once distillation was legalised in 1823 on the purchase of a licence at an annual fee, the Matheson family acquired land in 1843 just across the brewery to convert the Morangie brewery to a distillery. The eldest son, William who had spent the preceding decade and a half studying and learning distillation at Elgin, took over as Distillery Manager and equipped it with two pot stills in sequence. He renamed the distillery Glenmorangie, with its water source now the mineral-rich Tarlogie Spring. The first drop of new make was sold only in 1849, as a three-year old whisky.

The distillery was purchased by the Maitland brothers and Duncan Cameron in 1887, who induced a Gin manufacturer, the Taylor family from the neighbouring village to join them. Taylor brought his Gin still necks to add to the existing squat stills with short necks, such addition resulting in the famous giraffe-style tallest-necked stills in Scotland, changing the output spirit almost totally into a light and smooth entity. Ownership then passed to its main customer, the Leith firm Macdonald and Muir, in 1918. The Muir family would retain control of the company for almost 90 years, up to 2004. In the interim, the flourishing company bought Glen Moray in Elgin Speyside in 1923, essentially for its spare stock of malted barley, and the now-off now-on Ardbeg distillery in Islay in 1997. With Ardbeg's stock of old whiskies maturing silently in the darkness, they had hit pay dirt! Sure enough, Ardbeg prices started to spiral. The next buyer was the giant international fashion-forward company, Moet Hennessy Luis Vuitton (LVMH), who acquired Glenmorangie on 20 Dec 2004 for £300 million. Ardbeg was part of the package, but Glen Moray was hived off to French La Martiniquaise.

Glenmorangie, like all distilleries and breweries in Britain, suffered terribly between 1920 and 1950, with Prohibition and then the Great Depression in the United States reducing whisky sales. The distillery was effectively mothballed between 1931 and 1936. The depression ended with World War II, but the war effort left fuel and barley in short supply and the distillery was again mothballed between 1941 and 1944. Exports of whisky were important during the war, but enemy action disrupted and destroyed deliveries to the United States and Canada. Towards the end of the war and in the immediate post-war period, the distillery recovered to increase production and was running at full capacity by 1948.

The number of stills was expanded from two to four in 1980, which was also the time they stopped malting their own barley. In 1990 the stills were expanded again to a total of eight. Those eight stills enable Glenmorangie to produce four million litres of pure alcohol each year, confirming them as a worldwide brand. In 2009, Glenmorangie distillery added two pairs of brand new stills to the eight already in use, increasing production capacity from 4,000,000 litres of alcohol per year to 6,000,000 litres of alcohol per year. Together with Bunnahabhain and Isle of Jura, Glenmorangie has the tallest pot stills in the industry at 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m) tall, with 16 feet 10.25 inches (5.1372 m) necks.

First released more than 175 years ago, the original Glenmorangie 10 year old was known for its mellow tones and delicacy of flavour. All these years later, The Original remains at the heart of Glenmorangie. To give Original a delicious, go-anywhere finesse, they make it in their high stills, then age it for 10 years in bourbon casks to absorb all manner of delectable flavours. The result is a smooth welcoming whisky with a rush of citrus, then layers of luscious flavour, from orange to honey and creamy vanilla, with bursts of peach. This whisky is their bestseller in Scotland.

Around 1995 Glenmorangie released four different ' wood finishes' - a Port Finish, a short-lived Madeira Finish (stopped in 2007), a Sherry Finish and a Sauternes (Burgundy) wine finish. Later on some more finished 'limited releases' were bottled. The bottles actually hold single-malt Scotch, but the Glenmorangie in each has been "finished" for two years in barrels that once held wine, after ageing 10 years in the traditional second-hand Bourbon barrels.

The Tall Copper Stills at Glenmorangie

Some of the most knowledgeable in wood finishing are distilleries such as Edradour, the smallest distillery in Scotland, and Isle of Arran. A lot of big names are doing wood finishes as well, including Glenfarclas, Bowmore, Macallan and Springbank. Springbank's 11 year “Madeira Wood”, for example, was matured entirely in ex-Madeira casks. So far, at least 33 of the 95-odd active malt distilleries in Scotland have issued one or more wood-finished whiskies.

In the 1970s, Scotch distillers concluded that finishing in sherry barrels overpowered some of the natural flavours of Scotch, so they switched almost entirely to American Bourbon barrels. That said, some distillers still felt that some desirable flavours could be had from used ex-wine seasoned wood, so a series of experiments were tried at a low scale over five years, studying the effects of different woods. Eventually, they decided that full maturation in ex-Bourbons barrels, followed by finishing the maturation in other wood for shorter periods gave the best results. The first release was a 12-year-old Glenmorangie finished in Port barrels, the Quinta Ruban. This is now a 14 Year Old.

It was undeniably tasty, but Scotch lovers cherish tradition, so there was a fierce controversy. Well known spirits writers first decried and denigrated wine-finished Scotch as either a way of covering up flaws in whisky or a cheap gimmick aimed at unsophisticated people who like sweet, fruity drinks. But in the 2004 edition of his book, spirits writer Michael Jackson acknowledged that wood finishes had become an established part of the single-malt market. Soon thereafter, the company was sold to the French drinks company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton for around £300 million. The prices of the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg range of Whiskies saw an immediate rise of $10.00 per bottle, followed by periodic hikes. A $49.95 Nectar d'Or now sells at $77.00 in most liquor stores. It is now a NAS whisky at 46% ABV.

Glenmorangie uses a number of different cask types, with all products being matured in white oak casks manufactured from trees growing in Glenmorangie's OWN forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, USA. These new casks are left to air for two years before being leased to distillers Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill for them to mature bourbon in for four years. Glenmorangie then uses the barrels to mature their spirit. The Original range will mature entirely in ex-bourbon casks, while the Extra Matured range of bottlings are transferred into casks that were previously used to mature other products such as wine, port or sherry for finishing. Rum casks are also used in finishing.

Glenmorangie also obtains small batches of other casks for finishing and release limited edition bottlings from these. Following acquisition by LVMH, Glenmorangie produced a rare limited edition aged in casks previously used to mature Château Margaux, the Glenmorangie 18yo 'Extremely Rare' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 2010). These bottlings are now extremely hard to find and are priced accordingly.

Approximately 85 per cent of the whisky that is distilled at Glenmorangie is sold as a single malt. The rest is used in blends like Highland Queen. Glenmorangie previously bottled Drambuie in a joint venture with the Drambuie Company. (This arrangement ended in 2010).

Port Finish: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

Sherry Finish: Glenmorangie NAS 'Lasanta'.

Madeira Finish: Glenmorangie Madeira Wood Finish, a fruity, creamy whisky with a slight orange hue. (Stopped in 2007).

Sauternes (Burgundy) Wine Finish: Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or

American Contribution

To an American, this is a little disorienting. The Scots have always credited their noble spirit to peat smoke, sea air, water filtered through granite and heather and the like; in brief, to environmental factors that a French winemaker would consider terroir. We Americans have been the ones to dwell on the flavour whiskey picks up from the barrel.

American law spells out exactly what kind of barrel you have to use if you want to call your whiskey Bourbon. It has to be made of American white oak, charred on the inside, and brand-new. Once you've aged any whiskey in it, it can never again be used for Bourbon.

As a result, there are always a lot of used Bourbon barrels lying around. Scotch distilleries have long bought them up for ageing their whisky. To anybody who asked, they've explained that the Bourbon has helpfully extracted all the barrel flavours that would obscure the subtleties of Scotch.

How things have changed! These days many Scottish distillers are exploring the effects of used wine barrels, which add unfamiliar fruity notes. Some are even experimenting with new Bourbon-type barrels, which contribute the familiar vanilla and caramel flavours of Bourbon.

Wood finishes are also spreading from single malts to blended Scotches such as Grant's and the Famous Grouse. (The Grant's aged in ale barrels has a very attractive roundness and fullness -- too bad we can't yet get it in this country.) 

About half the distilleries making wood finishes are in the area east of Inverness known as Speyside. Since Speyside is close to wood-finish pioneer Glenmorangie and known for the delicacy of its whiskies (compared with the smoky island malts), this area is an ideal place to explore the world of wood. The Speyside most familiar to Americans is the Glenlivet, the top-selling single malt in the United States. Glenlivet is aboard for the idea of adding nuances from barrels, but strikes a classical tone, dubious about all these wine flavours.


First posted in 2009.