Glenmorangie has released its oldest-ever whisky, a 50 year old single malt made with some of the last batches of barley malted in the distillery’s own floor maltings before they were decommissioned in 1977.
The whisky is limited to 149 bottles, each presented in a bespoke porcelain vessel created by American ceramic artist Peter Pincus.
The spirit was distilled in the distillery’s famously tall copper stills before being matured in bourbon hogsheads and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts in the mid-1970s. It has spent five decades maturing, with the final three decades overseen by Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden MBE.
The maturation took an interesting turn in 1999. Dr Bill selected a small parcel from the ageing stock, comprising mostly bourbon-cask whisky with a smaller proportion from sherry butts, and married it in a single refill hogshead.
The cask was chosen for its tight construction and ability to provide a slow, gentle maturation over an extended period. That additional 25 years allowed the whisky to develop extraordinary depth while retaining the elegant character associated with Glenmorangie.
Dr Bill Lumsden said: “The release of the Glenmorangie 50 Years Old has to be one of my proudest creations. I often wondered if the day would ever come that we’d be able to bottle a Glenmorangie with such a mighty age statement. The combination of Glenmorangie from classic bourbon barrels, with a touch of sweet yet spicy sherry cask-matured liquid presents a stunning whisky of depth and complexity, harmonised with Glenmorangie’s signature elegance. It’s also particularly special that this whisky was created from some of the last batches of barley to be malted on site at the distillery in the mid-1970s, which has added rare hints of smoke to its flavour profile.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is non-chill filtered and bottled at 45.7% ABV cask strength.
The spirit was distilled in the distillery’s famously tall copper stills before being matured in bourbon hogsheads and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts in the mid-1970s…
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old tasting notes
This rare quinquagenarian is described by the distillery as remarkably rich mahogany in colour. The nose brings baked oranges, sultanas and nutmeg, with a herbal top note is described as elegant and curiously aromatic for a whisky of this age, with hints of amber, cardamon, sultanas, nutmeg and baked oranges. This leads to touches of toffee and leather, with a distinctive herbal top note, like a whisper of coriander or parsley.
At this age, very little water is needed, suggests the distillery, but a few drops will release a candy sweetness and further toffee notes.
On the palate, we’re told there’s a gently peppery texture followed by toffee, stewed Assam tea leaves and birch tar, with hints of cinnamon, clove and oak tannin.
The finish is long and lingering, revealing hints of aniseed, treacle toffee and eucalyptus.
Glenmorangie’s oldest arrives in handcrafted ceramic vessels
Presentation is an integral part of the release. Glenmorangie commissioned Peter Pincus to create Together in Spirit, an artwork comprising the 149 individual porcelain vessels. Pincus, his partner Laurie and their studio team spent more than 1,000 days developing and handcrafting the pieces.
They even pioneered new ceramic techniques for the project, casting and sanding each vessel before applying one of 50 bespoke colour pigments inspired by the whisky’s flavour profile. Each vessel has its own pattern and identity, while its form connects with its neighbours to create a tessellated wall when all 149 pieces are assembled.
After visiting Glenmorangie and tasting the whisky, Pincus’s team developed a palette designed to translate its flavours into colour and pattern.
Priced a £25,800 (30,000€), Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is available through the Moët Hennessy Private Client Team, the Distillery Visitor Centre in Tain, and select retailers. Explore the wider Glenmorangie range at The Whisky Exchange.
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Glenmorangie has released its oldest-ever whisky, a 50 year old single malt made with some of the last batches of barley malted in the distillery’s own floor maltings before they were decommissioned in 1977.
The whisky is limited to 149 bottles, each presented in a bespoke porcelain vessel created by American ceramic artist Peter Pincus.
The spirit was distilled in the distillery’s famously tall copper stills before being matured in bourbon hogsheads and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts in the mid-1970s. It has spent five decades maturing, with the final three decades overseen by Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden MBE.
The maturation took an interesting turn in 1999. Dr Bill selected a small parcel from the ageing stock, comprising mostly bourbon-cask whisky with a smaller proportion from sherry butts, and married it in a single refill hogshead.
The cask was chosen for its tight construction and ability to provide a slow, gentle maturation over an extended period. That additional 25 years allowed the whisky to develop extraordinary depth while retaining the elegant character associated with Glenmorangie.
Dr Bill Lumsden said: “The release of the Glenmorangie 50 Years Old has to be one of my proudest creations. I often wondered if the day would ever come that we’d be able to bottle a Glenmorangie with such a mighty age statement. The combination of Glenmorangie from classic bourbon barrels, with a touch of sweet yet spicy sherry cask-matured liquid presents a stunning whisky of depth and complexity, harmonised with Glenmorangie’s signature elegance. It’s also particularly special that this whisky was created from some of the last batches of barley to be malted on site at the distillery in the mid-1970s, which has added rare hints of smoke to its flavour profile.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is non-chill filtered and bottled at 45.7% ABV cask strength.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old tasting notes
This rare quinquagenarian is described by the distillery as remarkably rich mahogany in colour. The nose brings baked oranges, sultanas and nutmeg, with a herbal top note is described as elegant and curiously aromatic for a whisky of this age, with hints of amber, cardamon, sultanas, nutmeg and baked oranges. This leads to touches of toffee and leather, with a distinctive herbal top note, like a whisper of coriander or parsley.
At this age, very little water is needed, suggests the distillery, but a few drops will release a candy sweetness and further toffee notes.
On the palate, we’re told there’s a gently peppery texture followed by toffee, stewed Assam tea leaves and birch tar, with hints of cinnamon, clove and oak tannin.
The finish is long and lingering, revealing hints of aniseed, treacle toffee and eucalyptus.
Glenmorangie’s oldest arrives in handcrafted ceramic vessels
Presentation is an integral part of the release. Glenmorangie commissioned Peter Pincus to create Together in Spirit, an artwork comprising the 149 individual porcelain vessels. Pincus, his partner Laurie and their studio team spent more than 1,000 days developing and handcrafting the pieces.
They even pioneered new ceramic techniques for the project, casting and sanding each vessel before applying one of 50 bespoke colour pigments inspired by the whisky’s flavour profile. Each vessel has its own pattern and identity, while its form connects with its neighbours to create a tessellated wall when all 149 pieces are assembled.
After visiting Glenmorangie and tasting the whisky, Pincus’s team developed a palette designed to translate its flavours into colour and pattern.
Priced a £25,800 (30,000€), Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is available through the Moët Hennessy Private Client Team, the Distillery Visitor Centre in Tain, and select retailers. Explore the wider Glenmorangie range at The Whisky Exchange.
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