Glenmorangie, renowned for its single malt whisky, takes wine cask maturation to new heights with its Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection.
Devotees of the Highland distillery are familiar with staple expressions like The Lasanta 12 Years Old (Sherry casks), The Quinta Ruban 14 Years Old (Port casks), and The Nectar 16 Years Old (sweet wine). This innovative collection, however, ventures into three prestigious wine territories: Margaux, Corton-Charlemagne, and Barbaresco.
The collection’s name, Pursuit of Passion, is far from just a promotional slogan. “Whisky is my life, and wine is my hobby,” claims Glenmorangie’s Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden, who is also an avid wine collector. He credits his passion for wine as the catalyst for the innovative experiments that birthed this collection.
A distinctive aspect of this series is the extended duration of wine cask maturation—calling it merely ‘finishing’ would be an understatement. Each expression in the trio is aged between 27 to 29 years, with 18 to 20 of those years spent in the wine casks that define their nuanced flavors.
This period marks the early years of Lumsden at Glenmorangie, where he served as distillery manager in the 1990s before progressing to a role similar to the one he holds today, with duties such as cask procurement.
‘It was then that we truly dove into experimentation,’ Dr. Lumsden remarks. ‘During that time, I worked with barrels from Yquem and Romanée-Conti, among others, especially around 2003 to 2005.’
He continues to discuss the unpredictability of some wine cask trials. ‘With the Margaux barrels, I felt somewhat confident because of my previous experiences with Bordeaux barrels, which typically impart hints of red fruit, white chocolate, cedar wood, and cigar box.’
‘The Corton-Charlemagne was more about curiosity. It’s somewhat unusual amongst the grand white Burgundies—an appellation not widely recognized. Revisiting it four or five years back, I was genuinely excited by its quality.’
‘With the Barbaresco, I just did not know at all how that was going to turn out. Nebbiolo is so much more bold and full-bodied, and tends to be a bit more tannic than Sangiovese from Tuscany. So I was a little bit cautious, but it seemed to work pretty well.’
Priced at £7,740/€9,000 per set, the Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection is available from autumn 2024 through the Moët Hennessy Private Client channel and from the Glenmorangie boutique in Heathrow Terminal 2, as well as from select retailers worldwide and the distillery visitor centre in Tain from October. Registrations of interest can also be made on the Glenmorangie website.
Rich, decadent and oily, this is an absolute beast of a whisky but a well-dressed one. There’s candied plum and Red Delicious apple on the nose, building into ripe dates and then molasses. The palate is positively oily and richly sweet, showing black cherries in dark chocolate, a petrichor element and an anis lift that is found – in various forms – across all three whiskies. A 27-year-old bottling. Alcohol 51.3%
Restraint from the outset here, combining jasmine, honeysuckle and pink peppercorn, before deepening into hazelnut praline and pastel de nata – all lifted by notes of lime flower and lemongrass. The palate shows great depth, with dark honey, Pontefract cake and charred pineapple. The anis notes are borne aloft by the velvety mouthfeel. A 28-year-old bottling. Alc 52.1%
Fresh and not remotely jammy, with raspberry and redcurrant prominent on the nose, enhanced by a scented floral hint reminiscent of Parma Violet sweets. The texture on the palate is silky smooth – a characteristic common across the range – infused with deeper tones of plum and cassis, complemented by a touch of eucalyptus. An extremely elegant and beautifully balanced whisky, aged 29 years. Alc 52.5%