GLENMORANGIE IN THE EXPANSION MODE
 |
| Image Source: Glenmorangie |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Early Days: According to the
Glenmorangie Company, the earliest record of the production of alcohol at
Morangie Farm is dated 1703. In the 1730s a brewery was built on the site that
shared the farm's water source, the Tarlogie Spring. A former distillery
manager, William Matheson, acquired the farm in 1843 and converted the Morangie
brewery to a distillery, equipped with two second hand gin stills. He later
renamed the distillery Glenmorangie.
In 1843, William founded
the Glenmorangie Distillery in the Scottish Highlands. Inspired by the
Distillery’s peaceful surroundings on the banks of the Dornoch Firth, Matheson
brought forth a pioneering blended malt whisky wonderfully complex and exceptionally
smooth. Their single malt was to follow some years later. At the end of the
19th century Glenmorangie was being sold at top-end London hotels, as well as
being exported.
After WWI, the business
was sold to a partnership between two blending and broking firms, Macdonald
& Muir and Durham & Co, soon passing entirely to the former, which used
the whisky for blends such as Highland Queen. Although it was bottled in small
quantities from the 1920s, a change of strategy in 1959 saw Glenmorangie
revived as a single malt that soon became Scotland’s biggest seller.
Early success in the
infant single malt category resulted in two more stills being added to the
original pair in 1976, a number which was doubled again in 1990. 2004 saw
ownership go to French luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). In
2009, four more stills were added, along with a larger mash tun and extra
washbacks. More recently, extra warehousing has been built, the result of a
decision to mature and vat all the production on-site.
In January 2018, a new
stillhouse was built, housing two more of Glenmorangie’s distinctive stills,
plus a new mash tun and washbacks. The new facility enabled more experimental
runs, with innovations such as the use of stainless steel condensers.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Prestige expressions: Through
the years, Glenmorangie whisky creators have dedicated themselves to their
craft, in pursuit of perfection. These peerless whiskies are the culmination of
their art and effort and include the Signet, 18-25 YOs, Grand Vintage malts and
Pride, among others.
The Process: The process starts with mashing unpeated barley with water from the distillery’s Tarlogie Springs
– making this one of a small number of hard water sites in Scotland. Although
there is no smoke, once a year some chocolate malt is added to the mash for use
in the firm’s Signet brand – another of the distillery’s many innovations.
Fermentation is long,
while distillation takes place in the tallest stills in Scotland, all of which
retain the same long-necked design of the pair which were brought from John
Taylor’s gin distillery in 1887. This extra height allows a long interaction to
take place between alcohol vapour and copper and, while the new make is
decidedly high-toned with high cut points.
The vast majority of
Glenmorangie’s make is aged in ex-American oak casks, many of which have been
made to the distillery’s exacting specifications: slow-growth American white
oak from north-facing slopes in Missouri, which is then air-dried. The firm’s Astar bottling uses 100% of these ‘bespoke’ casks.
The casks are used only twice, with the second-fill casks all ageing in damp ‘dunnage’ warehouses to increase oxidative-driven flavours. Some of the mature spirit is then transferred to ex-fortified wine (Port, Sherry) and still wine (Sauternes, Burgundy, Super-Tuscan, etc) casks for a period of finishing. Glenmorangie was one of the pioneers of this technique.
Glenmorangie is a simple whisky to understand. All its casks meant for age-stated bottling and all new
make is decanted into American oak casks and left there for 8 years. The new
make is then shifted to the second-fill casks kept in damp ‘dunnage’ warehouses.
Two years later, a designated portion is bottled as The Original. The remaining
new make, 10 YO, is then transferred into its final casks, to emerge as 12 YO bottlings.
One lot, those in specially selected ruby port pipes from the Quintas or wine
estates of Portugal, is left to mature two years more and emerge as The Quinta
Ruban 14 YO.
Sonnalta PX (2009) - Finished in PX sherry casks, 1
Litre, 46%.
Finealta (2010) - Part matured in sherry casks, 70cl, 46%.
Artein (2012) - Finished in Super Tuscan wine casks, 15 Year Old, 70cl, 46%.
Ealanta (2013) - Distilled in 1993, matured in American Virgin Oak, 70cl, 46%.
Bacalta (2017) - Finished in Baked Malmsey Madeira Casks, 70cl, 46%.
Companta (2014) - Extra matured in Clos De Tart and Cotes du Rhone Casks, 70cl, 46%.
Tusail (2015) - Distilled from Maris Otter Barley, 70cl, 46%.
Milsean (2016) - Finished in Toasted Wine Casks, 70cl, 46%.
Bacalta (2017)- Finished in sun-baked Malmsey Madeira casks, 70cl, 46%.
Spios (2018)- Matured fully in casks that previously held rye whiskey, 70cl, 46%.
Allta (2019)-Fermented with yeast from Glenmorangie’s
own Cadboll barley, 70cl, 51.2%.
Legends: 4 brands are sold as legends, but only
in the Travel Reserve Sector. Initially sold as 1L bottles at 43% ABV, they are
now available as 70cl bottles at 43%. The Tarlogan, The Tayne, The Duthac and
The Cadboll comprise this segment. The Cadboll is a 15 YO and is an annual product. It was, however, pulled out of the Travel Retail section after its debut. Its third edition was released recently this year.
 |
 |
Travel Retail: Three new
brands have surfaced in the travel retail sector. These are The Accord, The
Elementa and The Tribute. The Accord is a 12-year-old whisky matured in a
combination of ex-Bourbon barrels and oloroso Sherry casks. The Elementa is a
14-year-old whisky matured in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished in new charred
oak casks, whereas The Tribute is a 16-year-old whisky created to celebrate the
distillery’s former use of peat to dry its barley.
UPDATE
As of now, production of Malaga has ceased and it has been reverted to the
Limited Edition category.
