Glenmorangie Distillery
Glenmorangie distillery began life as a brewery on the outskirts of Tain in the Northeast of Scotland. When William Matheson took charge in 1843, however, the site was converted into a distillery which he named Glenmorangie.
Matheson acquired a pair of stills from a London gin distillery and shipped them to Tain. Even though they have long since been replaced, their shape and design remain critical to the character of the Glenmorangie spirit. The tall, elegant necks of those stills create a light, refined spirit.
Single malt Scotch is distilled in copper for three main reasons. Firstly, copper is easy to work with and can be moulded to any shape or design. Secondly, it is an excellent conductor of heat and finally, it removes impurities from the spirit. The shape of the still is of great importance to the character of a finished whisky and the tall, slender necks of Glenmorangie allow far more copper contact and ensure only the lightest and purest vapours reach the summit. In contrast, squat, bulbous stills, like those at Lagavulin for example, allow more of the heavier phenolic compounds to rise, creating an altogether oilier, weightier whisky.
Glenmorangie takes great pride in the spirit produced in their tall stills and it would seem that they are not alone, as their single malt has long been hailed as the best selling in its native Scotland, and third best selling in the world, behind Glenfiddich and Glenlivet.
The Whisky
The 10 year old Glenmorangie ‘Original’ is bottled at 40% and is available in the UK for around £35.
Smell: Malty. There’s vanilla and some chocolate orange. There’s also a floral, heathery note. Buttercream and lemon. Lemon meringue pie, perhaps.
Taste: Honey and citrus with a bit of pepper, vanilla and just at the back, a wee bitter coffee note.
Thoughts: A popular single malt that’ll cost you around the £30 – £35 mark. It’s low strength, as you’d expect for an entry level expression, but it’s a fairly natural looking colour, which is nice.
I must confess, Glenmorangie isn’t a favourite of mine. I often find the lighter spirit a bit of a turn-off but that’s an issue of personal taste rather than a complaint against its quality. Sometimes I can see the appeal in its delicacy and I suppose there should be a Scotch for every palate and many, many whisky drinkers seem to find this enjoyable. Me, well I don’t hate it. I sipped and enjoyed well enough my wee sample but it’s just not a bottle I buy and I can’t see that changing any time soon.
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