Glenmorangie is a staple in many Scotch enthusiasts bars, including mine. They have a wide range of different ages & finish in their catalogue which means that anyone can find something that suits their liking. They have pleased neophytes’ palates as well as professionals’ ones. What can I say, they are easy to love. I believe everyone should at least once taste some Glenmorangie in order to experience what this distillery can offer.
“…pursuing perfection, even though it can be arduous, is always worth it.”
The History
The Glenmorangie Distillery, located in the Highlands, was founded by William Matheson in 1843. The land previously held a brewery for nearly 75 years, which used the water source Glenmorangie would later add in its whisky, the Tarlogie Spring. The distillery then switched hands to the MacDonald family right before the beginning of the Prohibition. They started exporting all around the world, but like most alcohol companies, they had to wait until the 1950s, after the Great Depression, to really be able to increase production. As demand inflated over the years, they had to add new stills to the already existing Gin stills that were part of the distillery’s debut. So they bought more fermentation tanks in 1990, 2002 & 2009, leaving the number at twelve different vessels as of now. Since 2004, it belongs to the major company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton & is valued at more than $400 million. A big heritage from Glenmorangie is the Men of Tain, previously known as the Sixteen Men of Tain. These are the people behind the famous whiskies from the brewing, to the distillation, the aging & the blending of casks. Everything is made by hand as to preserve Scotland’s tradition. As for the bottling, it takes place on Glenmorangie’s land where Ardbeg is also bottled. The distillery is among the top sellers worldwide having a little more over 5% of the total share in Single Malt Scotch.
The Production
Environment-Friendly
Through this certification, Glenmorangie takes a step further than the minimal restrictions in order to help decrease its impact on the environment. The focus is on alternative energy, waste management & energy efficiency. A good example is their anaerobic digestion plant which reduces 95% of the oxygen demand for the distillery, which in turn saves 15% more energy. Glenmorangie also partnered with the DEEP team in order to bring back a locally extinct species of Oyster which used to serve as a powerful & natural water filter.
The Barley
Barley grain is supplied by Highland Grain Ltd, a cooperative of farmers in the area surrounding the Moray Firth, near Tain. Highland Grain is the result of the merging between two other cooperative farms, Black Isle Grain Group Ltd & Easter Ross Grain Ltd. There facilities can dry, store & malt as much as 40,000 tons of barley per year. All members must be approved by the Scottish Quality Crops or the Red Tractor schemes. This allows traceability from crops up to Highland Grain. In order to protect the environment, they have been operating under Environmental Management System since 2000. This helps to preserve the areas surrounding the Moray Firth, which in turns provides high quality grains in its healthy ecosystem.
The Terroir
Even though it hasn’t completely made its way into areas other than wine, terroir is part of the many aspects that can affect the taste profile of some whisky. Some studies are ongoing on the subject, so Scotch’s terroirs are not quite understood yet. Difference between major regions has been noted for quite a while now. While the Highlands Region is hard to pin down since it’s the biggest of Scotland, it still has a few common features that stand out. These include a subtle smokiness as well as some honeyed tones. Dividing the Highlands in more subregions would definitely help to understand the impact of some terroirs on the final products.
The Water
As already mentioned, Glenmorangie uses water from the Tarlogie Spring. This water is rich in minerals due to it being naturally filtered through limestone & sandstone. These minerals could contribute to the unique fruitiness of Glenmorangie’s whisky profile.
The Distillery
Philosophy
Glenmorangie’s philosophy is that pursuing perfection, even though it can be arduous, is always worth it.
The people
The people behind the distillery’s whiskies are the Men of Tain, previously known as the Sixteen Men of Tain. As a way to preserve tradition, Glenmorangie employed Sixteen Men for many decades. They used to work all year long with few breaks here & there. Due to higher demand, the staff had to expand to 24 members, leading to a change in the name, hence the Men of Tain. A nice anecdote is mentioned on their website, where there was a time when the Men of Tain would have a daily dram & would share jokes at lunch. Dr. Bill Lumsden could be considered as the Master Distiller of Glenmorangie & Ardbeg. He’s actually the Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation.
Whisky Production
Glenmorangie has the tallest stills in all of Scotland, measuring 8 metres high in total. The swan neck alone makes up for 5 out of those 8 metres. This height is supposed to provide light & pure vapours which in turn give a smoother mouthfeel. The casks used to age the whiskies are made of American White Oak. They are leased to Jack Daniels & Heaven Hills to mature their Bourbon. Then Glenmorangie used them back for their own Whiskies & never more than twice. This allows for more extraction from the barrel since it is almost brand new. Older oak casks are stripped of their flavours, so they don’t influence the final product as much as new oak. Most distilleries use their barrels from 3 to 5 times, before buying new ones. To push it a notch, Glenmorangie even possesses its own forest in Missouri where all their casks come from. Glenmorangie’s specialty is also the extra maturation step. Most of their whiskies are finished in various casks from Port to Sauternes, Sherries, Bourbon, Red Wine, Rye & even Grand Crus from Clos de Tart in Bordeaux. All these allow for the base profile of Glenmorangie to mingle with different woods & create new complex flavours. The distillery makes close to 10 million bottles each year, with half of those remaining in the UK for local consumption.
Popular Products
Glenmorangie’s portfolio is quite impressive. The most common products you will come across are the Original 10 Years Old, the Quinta Ruban which has gone for a 12 Years Old to a 14 Years Old & is finished in Port Casks. Then there’s the Lasanta, a 12 Years Old Scotch finished in Oloroso Sherry butts & the Nectar d’Or, a Sauternes finished Scotch that was previously a 12 Year Old, but is now NAS (No Age Statement). A panoply of various finish also exist, such as the SPIOS, Duthac, Tayne, Milsean & many more all with their own set of extra maturation casks. Above all these are the 18 Year Old, the Signet & the 1970’s Collection. If you have deep pockets & want to have a nice sense of Glenmorangie’s profile, go for one of these.
The Series
The distillery possess various ranges such as the core one with the Original, Lasanta, Quinta Ruban & the Nectar d’Or. They have the Prestige Range with older bottles (18, 19, 25), the Signet, the Pride bottles & the Grand Vintage Malt 1990. The Private Edition & the Legend Collection are made of various extra maturation whiskies.
The Reference
More information @nationalgeographic.com
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