Glenmorangie, creators of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskies since 1843, have uncorked their Grand Vintage Malt 1998. Bottled at 43 percent ABV, the premium malt has been aged in oak barrels for 23 years, giving it a spicy note and an amber glow.
The director of whisky creation at Glenmorangie, Dr. Bill Lumsden, and his team are on a mission to bring new flavors and possibilities to the world of single malt.
In 1998, Lumsden vowed to explore the undiscovered wonders of new heavily charred virgin wood oak that he had tailor-made to enrich Glenmorangie’s fruity spirit, hoping to create a striking style of single malt, intense in color and spice. He used most of the wood-finish casks adding spiciness to Glenmorangie’s complex fruits. Lumsden also filled a few with new spirit, imagining an unprecedented single malt. Aged for 23 years, the spirit transformed into a whisky surging with vanilla, chocolate orange, ginger and sweet chili.
Lumsden said: “In 1998, I had all sorts of ideas for new and delicious whiskies. And one my first experiments was with new charred oak casks. At the heart of Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1998 is a parcel of that experimental whisky. Aged in those casks for 23 years, it gives the limited edition a wonderful spicy note and an amber glow. With aromas of apples and plums and tastes of orange chocolate and clove, this whisky brings a new dimension to Glenmorangie’s elegance.”
For more than 175 years, Glenmorangie, known as the Distillers of Tain, has been honing its craft in Scotland’s tallest stills. The result is a delicate and fruity spirit, ripe for experimentation, that boasts five key ingredients: wood, water, barley, yeast and time. Delicate and spicy with a wonderful amber glow, Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1998 showcases some of the first-ever Glenmorangie whisky aged in new charred oak.
