Glenmorangie

Introduction:

Glenmorangie Distillery offers a wide selection of official bottlings, providing whisky enthusiasts with a range of options to explore. The core range includes The Original, a 10-year-old expression that serves as the foundation of their offerings. Additionally, Glenmorangie offers an 18-year-old and a 25-year-old bottling for those seeking more mature expressions. The distillery also produces a variety of wood finishes, typically aged for 12 years, along with distiller’s editions. Independent bottlings of Glenmorangie are rare, making them challenging to find in the market. Glenmorangie takes pride in bottling a high percentage of its Single Malt production, demonstrating its commitment to delivering their whisky to consumers.

Production:

Glenmorangie Distillery has a substantial production capacity of six million liters. The distillery sources its water from Tarlogie Springs, located in the nearby Tarlogie hills. The production process is supported by an impressive mash tun capable of holding up to 12 tonnes of grist. Glenmorangie has achieved remarkable success, becoming Scotland’s best-selling Single Malt, which is a testament to its quality and popularity among whisky enthusiasts.

Lighthouse Distillery

In mid-2021, Glenmorangie opened the Lighthouse distillery, an experimental facility located on the main distillery site. The Lighthouse distillery allows for trials and experimentation on a smaller scale, saving costs for the production team. It features two tall stills known for producing the fruitiness and lightness characteristic of Glenmorangie Single Malt. The experimental stills at the Lighthouse distillery have adjustable necks that can replicate different neck sizes, enabling variations in distillation processes and condensation techniques. The facility also has its own brewhouse, where malt, yeast, and water experiments take place. With these innovative capabilities, Glenmorangie continues to explore and refine its whisky production techniques.

Pot Stills:

Glenmorangie’s production is supported by a total of eight stills, consisting of four wash stills and four spirit stills. Each wash still has a capacity of 12,500 liters, while the spirit stills have an 8,000-liter capacity. Glenmorangie’s stills are heated using electric and oil steam coils. They are known for their tall shape, featuring round spherical lids and tall vertical necks that rise straight up from the lid. Reflux bowls are incorporated into the stills’ design to enhance reflux, a process that contributes to the smoothness and mildness of the resulting malt whisky. At 16 feet and 10 inches, Glenmorangie’s stills were once the tallest in the industry, allowing for increased reflux and a refined flavor profile.

Maltings:

Glenmorangie ceased its floor maltings operations in 1977 and began sourcing malt from Murray Firth in Inverness. The maltings used in production are lightly peated, contributing to Glenmorangie’s distinctive taste profile. The distillery specifically selects Derkado barley for malting, ensuring the whisky’s unique character and flavors.

Warehouse:

Glenmorangie prides itself on using traditional earthen floor warehouses. The distillery has fourteen on-site warehouses, consisting of ten dunnage warehouses and four racked warehouses. American Oak casks are predominantly used for maturing Glenmorangie whisky. The distillery’s commitment to innovation is evident in its range of “Wood Finishes” bottlings, where different woods, including Sherry, Port, and Sauternes, are utilized to impart additional flavors to the whisky. Over the years, Glenmorangie has been at theforefront of experimenting with different finishes, playing a significant role in popularizing the concept of “finished Malt Whisky.” The casks were formerly reused up to three times, but since the 2010s, the distillery has reduced this to a maximum of two times to maintain quality.

History:

Glenmorangie Distillery, named after the Gaelic phrase meaning “Little Valley of Deep Tranquility”, is located on the southern shore of Dornoch Firth, just two miles west of the old “Royal Burgh of Tain” in the Northern Highlands. Founded in 1843 by brothers John and William Mathesen, who had a background in whisky production, Glenmorangie began operating in 1849. The Glenmorangie Distillery Company Limited was established in 1887, and by 1880, the distillery commenced its export activities, achieving remarkable success. In 1918, Macdonald and Muir, one of the distillery’s largest customers, acquired 40% of the company, while Durham, a whisky dealing company, acquired 60%. The ownership eventually shifted to Macdonald, and production continued under their control. In 1931, due to the global financial depression and the impact of American Prohibition, the distillery was forced to close. However, it reopened in 1936 and resumed production.

Glenmorangie experienced further growth and success throughout the years. In 1980, the number of stills was doubled to four, followed by another expansion to eight stills in 1990, and eventually increased to ten. The distillery’s popularity led to the opening of a visitor’s center in 1994, and the introduction of the Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish marked the beginning of their wood finishes range. In 2004, the Macdonald family decided to sell Glenmorangie, including other distilleries under the “Glenmorangie plc” umbrella. Following a competitive bidding process, Moët Hennessy emerged as the successful buyer. Under Moët Hennessy’s ownership, the Glenmorangie brand underwent a comprehensive rebranding, including renaming and discontinuing certain expressions. Despite scaling up production, Glenmorangie remained committed to maintaining the quality of its Single Malt.

Visitor’s Centre:

Glenmorangie’s distillery site features a visitor’s centre where guests can explore the distillery and enjoy informative tours. The centre also includes a café, a gift shop offering a variety of Glenmorangie merchandise, and a museum dedicated to the history of Glenmorangie and Single Malt whisky production. Visitors can immerse themselves in the world of Glenmorangie and gain a deeper understanding of its heritage and craftsmanship.

Visitor information:

Glenmorangie Distillery
Tain
Ross-shire
IV19 1PZ
Tel: +44(0)1862-892477
Email: website@glenmorangie.co.uk