The Glenmorangie Story
Records show that alcohol was being produced on the Morangie Farm as early as 1703. By 1730, a brewery had been established on the premises, using fresh water from the Tarlogie Spring. When William Matheson bought the Farm in 1843, however, he converted the brewery into a distillery using two second-hand gin stills. These unusually long-necked pot stills allowed him to produce a uniquely light and fruity new make that was soon making a name for itself in the villages that surrounded the distillery.
The 1930s proved difficult for Glenmorangie. Prohibition in the US was followed by the Great Depression and distillers all over Scotland were robbed of their biggest export market. Glenmorangie was placed in mothballs from 1931 to 1936 and when it reopened, it was met with the barley and fuel shortages of wartime rationing. Silence fell once more between 1941 and 1944 but production resumed by 1948. Glenmorangie has been in production ever since.
Housing twelve of the tallest stills in Scotland, Glenmorangie makes the best selling single malt in its home country, though its immense popularity covers the entirety of the whisky-drinking world. That popularity attracted the interest of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, who purchased the company in 2004, along with sister distillery, Ardbeg in Islay.
Glenmorangie was among the first to experiment with cask finishing techniques and for the past decade, the brand’s appetite for experimentation has resulted in the Private Editions series. A collection of single malts including Milsean, a whisky aged in re-charred Portuguese Red Wine Casks and Spios, which was aged in American Rye Whiskey Casks.
For the 10th edition, however, head whisky maker Dr. Bill Lumsden explored an idea that began with a conversation. The late, much-loved, writer, Michael Jackson uncovered records of a unique yeast strain that had once been kept by Glenmorangie Distillery and Lumsden was inspired. He spent hours walking through the barley fields that surrounded the distillery, looking for any sign of yeast living on the husks of the grain.
After finding what he was looking for, Dr Bill brought samples back to his lab and was able to isolate a completely new strain of wild yeast called Saccharomyces Diaemath which he then paired with the barley crop upon which it lived in order to produce a completely unique new make spirit. That spirit was then matured in ex-bourbon barrels, with a high percentage of second fill used, so as not to overpower the fruity flavours in the new make.
Glenmorangie Allta Review
The Glenmorangie Allta is bottled at 51.2% and retailed in the UK for around £70 a bottle.
Smell: A little unusual on the nose with a definite Yeasty quality – reminiscent of walking among the frothing washbacks of the distillery. There’s an Earthy quality – almost Mushroomy! – and a ripe Tomato note unlike anything I’ve come across before. Vanilla also, with barley sugars, citrus, shortbread and a wee bit of pepper.
Taste: Salted Caramel, vanilla, oranges, wheat flour, malty biscuits and butter. It arrives in a burst of flavour but mellows as it develops. I’m convinced there’s a tomato note in there again.
Thoughts: It’s not all that cheap at £70 but your money will buy you a fascinating new spin on the Glenmorangie that benefits from a higher bottling strength of 51.2%.
Glenmorangie is a malt I often overlook. Their core range is of decent quality but perhaps not entirely to my taste. It is a joy, therefore, to see them push off in new directions and experiment with their raw ingredients, rather than focusing purely on the maturation end of the process. Glenmorangie is so often a delicate single malt but this seems more robust, more earthy. Allta is an intriguingly complex and rewarding single malt.
For more on Glenmorangie
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