252px|thumb|right|Glenmorangie logo, based on the lower panel on the [[Hilton of Cadboll Stone]]

Glenmorangie distillery (pronounced with the stress on the second syllable: ; the toponym is believed to derive from either Gaelic Gleann Mòr na Sìth "vale of tranquillity" or Gleann Mór-innse "vale of big meadows") is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky.

The distillery is owned by The Glenmorangie Company Ltd (a subsidiary of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), whose main product is the range of Glenmorangie single malt whisky. Glenmorangie is categorised as a Highland distillery and boasts the tallest stills in Scotland. It is available in Original (12-year old), 18-, and 25-year-old bottlings, special cask bottlings, cask finishes, extra matured bottlings, and a range of special edition bottlings.

History

Legends tell that alcoholic beverages of one kind or another were produced in and around Tain since the Middle Ages.

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 at Balblair, William Matheson, acquired the farm in 1843 and converted the Morangie brewery to a distillery, equipped with two-second hand gin stills. The Macdonald family would retain control of the company for almost 90 years.

Following the change of ownership, the Glenmorangie product line was rebranded to increase its appeal in the overseas luxury goods market. A new, more curvaceous, bottle was introduced and the Wood Finish whiskies were given new names such as The Quinta Ruban, Nectar d'Or and LaSanta. According to Professor Paul Freathy, the director of the Institute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling, "The French-sounding names are an unusual innovation, because what makes whisky unique is the traditional tie to Scotland. It's a brave strategy."

For some years, The Glenmorangie Company supplied its whisky for the production of "own brand" blended whisky by supermarket groups. The practice ceased in 2009 when it sold off the Glen Moray 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. Globally, Glenmorangie has a 6% share of the single malt market.

Production

thumb|200px|The stills which stand high

Glenmorangie's water source is the Tarlogie Springs, situated in the Tarlogie Hills above the distillery. The stills used, the tallest in Scotland at tall, with necks, are claimed by the company to produce an extremely light taste. The distillation process was for decades undertaken by a staff of 16, known as The Sixteen Men of Tain, who worked year round, with the exceptions of Christmas and periods of maintenance.

The warehouses in which the casks are stored are also believed to affect the taste of the whisky. Glenmorangie have released a special edition bottling titled Cellar 13, which is from the warehouse closest to the sea, as the whisky is believed to have a distinctive flavour.

Dr Bill Lumsden MBE has been with Glenmorangie for more than 25 years and oversees all whisky production. He is the Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation and Whisky Stocks.

Bottling of the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg brands takes place at The Glenmorangie Company's purpose-built bottling plant in The Alba Campus at Livingston, West Lothian, just outside Edinburgh, Scotland. Glenmorangie previously bottled Drambuie in a joint venture with the Drambuie Company; this arrangement ended in 2010.

Pronunciation

Glen-MOR-angie:

the name of the whisky is , with the stress on the "mor" and rhyming with orangey (not as it is commonly mispronounced).

Bottlings

Core Range:

Original,

Lasanta,

Quinta Ruban, and

Nectar 16 years old (formerly Nectar D'Or 12 years old).

Prestige Range:

18,

19,

25,

Signet,

Pride 1981,

Pride 1978,

Pride 1974, and

Grand Vintage Malt 1990.

Private Edition Range:

(1st Annual Release) Sonnalta PX; 2010,

(2) Finealta; 2011,

(3) Artein; 2012,

(4) Ealanta; 2013,

(5) Companta; 2014,

(6) Tùsail; 2015,

(7) Milsean; 2016,

(8) Bacalta; 2017,

(9) Spios; 2018, and

(10) Allta; 2019.

Legend Collection:

Tarlogan,

Tayne,

Duthac,

Dornoc, and

Cadboll.

Limited Edition Range:

Astar; 2009 and 2017,

A Midwinter Night's Dram; 2015 and 2017,

Malaga Cask Finish; 2020

Cadboll Estate; 2020,

A Tale Of Cake; 2020,

A Tale Of Winter; 2021,

A Tale of the Forest; 2022,

Dr. Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto; 2024.

Cask Masters Selections:

Taghta 2014 (Sherry Cask).

"Tale of" Series:

A Tale of Cake 2020,

A Tale of Winter 2021,

A Tale of The Forest 2022,

A Tale of Tokyo 2023.

"Barrel Select Release" Series:

Malaga Finish (2020),

Cognac Finish (2021),

Amontillado Finish (2023),

Palo Cortado Finish (2023),

Calvados Finish (2024)

Accolades

Glenmorangie's products have tended to garner very high scores from international Spirit ratings competitions and from liquor reviewing bodies. Its 12-year Lasanta and 18-year single malt spirits, for example, have never received less than a silver medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competitions. The 12-year Lasanta has been placed in the Top 10 percentile of all whiskies by Proof66.com, which aggregates liquor ratings from the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Wine Enthusiast, and others.

Over the last five years Glenmorangie has won more "Gold Best in Class" awards than any other single malt Scotch whisky from the International Wine and Spirits Competition. In 2012, the IWSC awarded The Glenmorangie Company the title Distiller of the Year.

Glenmorangie Quarter Century won Best Highland Single Malt at the 2013 World Whisky Awards.

Jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth released an album named The Sixteen Men of Tain in 2000.

In the 1986 film Highlander, Conner MacLeod, played by Christopher Lambert, orders a "double Glenmorangie on the rocks."

See also

  • List of distilleries in Scotland

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Brand website
  • Company website
  • Details of how to visit Glenmorangie distillery
  • Dr. Whisky on Glenmorangie