Coordinates: 57°49′30″N 4°4′30″W / 57.825°N 4.075°W / 57.825; -4.075
| Glenmorangie |
 |
| Glenmorangie Distillery |
| Region: Highland |
| Location: |
Ross-shire |
| Owner: |
Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton |
| Founded: |
1843 |
| Status: |
Operational |
| Water Source: |
Tarlogie Springs in the Tarlogie Hills |
| No. of Stills: |
6 wash stills
6 spirit stills |
| Capacity: |
6,000,000 litres/per annum |
| Glenmorangie |
| Type: |
Single malt |
| Age(s): |
Original (10 Years)
"Extra Matured" Range (~12 Years)
18 Years
25 Years |
| Cask Type(s): |
American White Oak, Ex-Bourbon Casks (Main)
Oloroso Sherry Casks
Ruby Port Casks
Sauterne Wine Casks
"Artisan" Air dried White Oak Casks |
| ABV: |
40%–46% |
Glenmorangie (the toponym is from Gaelic gleann mór innse "vale of big meadows"[1]) is a distillery in Tain, Ross-shire, Scotland that produces single malt Scotch whisky. The distillery is owned by The Glenmorangie Company Ltd, 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.[2] It is available in Original, 18 and 25 year old bottlings, special cask bottlings, cask finishes, extra matured bottlings and a range of special edition bottlings. The Glenmorangie Company also owns the Ardbeg Distillery on Islay and The Scotch Malt Whisky Society based in Leith, Edinburgh.[3]
History
Legend tells that alcoholic beverages of one kind or another were produced at the site of the Glenmorangie distillery since the Middle Ages.[4]
It is said that the production of alcohol started at the site of the distillery in 1738, when a brewery was built at Morangie Farm. The water source for the brewery, the Tarlogie Springs, was shared with the farm. William Matheson purchased a licence to produce whisky in 1843; to turn the brewery into a distillery, he purchased two second hand gin stills.[2] The distillery took the Morangie name from the farm and the name Glenmorangie was created as a brand.
The distillery was purchased by its main customer, the Leith firm Macdonald and Muir, in 1918.[5] The Macdonald family would retain control of the company for almost 90 years.[2]
Glenmorangie, like all distilleries and breweries in Britain suffered terribly between 1920 and 1950, with prohibition and then the Great Depression in the United States having an impact on whisky sales. The distillery was effectively mothballed between 1931 and 1936. The depression ended with World War II , but the war effort left fuel and barley in short supply and the distillery was again mothballed between 1941 and 1944.[5] Exports of whisky were important during the war, but enemy action disrupted and destroyed deliveries to the United States and Canada.
Towards the end of the war and in the immediate post war period, the distillery increased production and was running at full capacity by 1948. The number of stills, was increased from two to four during 1977. Water supply became a concern during the 1980s with development of the land around the Tarlogie Springs becoming more likely. This development could have impacted on the quality and quantity of water available to the distillery, so the decision was made by Macdonald and Muir to purchase around 600 acres (2.4 km2) of land around and including the Tarlogie Springs to guarantee the quality and quantity of water necessary. The distillery once again engaged in expansion during 1990 when it added a further four stills, and two additional fermentation vessels (or washbacks) were added during 2002. Four new stills were added in 2009, bringing the total to twelve.[2]
The Macdonald family retained ownership of 52% of the company through a complicated London stock exchange listing which saw the family hold the majority of the voting shares of the company. The family sold the company in 2004 for around £300 million to the French drinks company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.[6]
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. [7] Globally, Glenmorangie has a 6% share of the single malt market.[8]
Production
The stills which stand 26 ft (7.9 m) high
Glenmorangie's water source is the Tarlogie Springs, situated in the Tarlogie Hills above the distillery.[5] Barley grain is supplied by Highland Grain Ltd, a co-operative of farmers in the area.[9] The stills used, the tallest in Scotland at 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m) tall, with 10 feet 1.25 inches (3.0797 m) necks, are claimed by the company to produce an extremely light taste. [10] The distillation process is undertaken by a staff of 16, known as The Sixteen Men of Tain, who work year round, with the exceptions of Christmas and periods of maintenance.[2]
Casks maturing at The Glenmorangie Distillery
Glenmorangie uses a number of different cask types, with all products being matured in white oak casks which are manufactured from trees growing in Glenmorangie's own forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, United States. These new casks are left to air for two years before being leased to distillers Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill for them to mature bourbon in for four years. Glenmorangie then uses their barrels to mature their spirit. The Original range will mature entirely in ex-bourbon casks, while the Extra Matured range of bottlings are transferred into casks that were previously used to mature other products such as wine, port or sherry in a process called finishing. These form part of the regular range of products Glenmorangie produce. Glenmorangie also obtains small batches of other casks for finishing and release limited edition bottlings from these, in the past, the distillery is rumoured to have obtained casks used to mature Château Margaux.[11][12]
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.[13]
Bottling of the Glenmorangie and Ardbeg brands takes place at the The Glenmorangie Company's combined headquarters and bottling plant at Broxburn, West Lothian, just outside Edinburgh, Scotland.[14] Glenmorangie also bottled Drambuie at the site in a joint venture with the Drambuie Company, but this arrangement will end in 2010.[15]
Pronunciation
The name of the whisky is pronounced /ɡlɛnˈmɔrəndʒi/ glen-MOR-ən-jee, with the stress on the 'mor' and rhyming with orangey, not */ˌɡlɛnmɔˈrændʒi/ GLEN-mor-AN-jee as it is commonly mispronounced.[citation needed]
Current Products
Glenmorangie Single Malt
- The Original (10 Years Old)
- Lasanta (Sherry Cask Extra Matured)
- Quinta Ruban (Port Cask Extra Matured)
- Nectar D'Or (Sauternes Cask Extra Matured)
- Astar (exclusively matured in Designer casks)
- Sonnalta PX (extra matured in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks)
- Signet
- Extremely Rare (18 Years Old)
- The Quarter Century (25 Years Old)
References
- ^ The translation of "Glen of Tranquillity" implied by Glenmorangie commercials is derived from the similarly sounding gleann mor na sith "great valley of peace"; at least this was the explanation given in reaction to a 2003 complaint to the Scottish Advertising Standards Authority about the alleged mistranslation [1]
- ^ a b c d e "Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky". Glenmorangie. http://www.whisky.com/brands/glenmorangie_brand.html. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ Malt Whisky Yearbook 2010, Magdig Media Ltd, 2009
- ^ Daniel Lerner, Single Malt and Scotch Whisky: Select and Savor over 200 Brands and Varieties, Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 1997. ISBN 1884822762.
- ^ a b c "Glenmorange Distillery". The Distilleries of Scotland. http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/glenmorangie.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Anticipated acquisition by Moët Hennessy S.N.C. of Glenmorangie plc". Office of Fair Trading. 2004-12-17. http://www.oft.gov.uk/advice_and_resources/resource_base/Mergers_home/decisions/2003/moet. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ Crawford, Alan (2004-08-29). "The Great Whisky Myth". Sunday Herald. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20040829/ai_n12590799. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ Darroch, Valerie (2004-10-24). "Glenmorangie sale buys new owners a footing in the global whisky". The Sunday Herald. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20041024/ai_n12592018. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Highland Grain Limited - News". 2007-03-21. http://fp.highlandgrain.f9.co.uk/news2.htm. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Glenmorangie Distillery Profile". The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. http://www.smws.co.uk/your-society-adventure/article-archive/article.html?article=32. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ Darroch, Valerie (2002-04-21). "Raising a glass to new friends; The myth is it's an old man's drink.". The Sunday Herald. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020421/ai_n12575483/pg_2. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Glenmorange Distillery Visit". Royalmilewhiskies.com. http://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/viewindex.asp?article_id=dist_morangie. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Glenmorangie: Northern Highlands distillery". Scotland: Whisky and Distilleries. http://www.whisky-distilleries.info/Glenmorangie_EN.shtml. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Glen Moray". The Whisky Guide. http://www.thewhiskyguide.com/Speyside/GlenMoray.html. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ Bradley, Jane (2009-03-28). "Morrison Bowmore seals Deal". The Scotsman. http://business.scotsman.com/ebusiness/Morrison-Bowmore---seals.5118171.jp. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
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