Glenmorangie reveals wine cask collection
Moët Hennessy-owned Glenmorangie has released a trio presentation set, Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection, exploring wine regions.
The new collection celebrates Glenmorangie's master distiller, Dr Bill Lumsden's, passion for fine wine with three single malt whiskies finished in French and Italian wine casks. Limited to 600 sets, the Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection showcases three of Lumsden’s most prized experiments, each more than 25 years old. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Glenmorangie was a pioneer of wood finishing in the Scotch whisky industry. For Pursuit of Passion, Lumsden sourced casks from revered areas in Burgundy and Bordeaux in France and Piedmont in Italy. The 29-year-old Glenmorangie Margaux Wine Cask Finish was distilled in 1995 and aged in Bourbon casks. In 2004, the whisky was transferred into red wine casks from Margaux. With more than 20 years in secondary casks, the expression is the longest cask-finished whisky released by the distillery. Margaux Wine Cask Finish is bottled at 52.5% ABV and is 'a rich, mellow and complex single malt with intense flavours of chocolate, plums and sweet chilli' on the palate. Aged for 28 years, Corton-Charlemagne Wine Cask Finish is the only one of the trio to be finished in white wine casks. The spirit was distilled in 1995 and aged in Bourbon barrels until 2005, when it was re-casked in Grand Cru Burgundy casks. Finished for more than 18 years in white wine casks and offered at 52.1% ABV, the 'spicy, smooth and full-bodied expression brims with notes of jasmine, soft smoke and clove’. The youngest expression in the collection, Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish, was distilled in 1996. Matured for 27 years, it was initially aged in Bourbon casks and transferred into Italian red wine casks from Piedmont in 2005. After 18 years in secondary casks, the expression offers notes of 'leather, rich spices and eucalyptus' on the palate. The whisky is bottled at 51.3% ABV. The collection is housed in a handmade oak presentation case, designed as an elegant centrepiece. Marquetry design work on the back and sides of the box hints at the staves from which wine casks are made, while the front of the case reflects the different landscapes of the three individual wine regions, capturing the flavour journey in each bottle. “My passion for single malt whisky is perhaps only matched by my passion for fine wine. And my travels through the world’s finest vineyards have inspired many experiments with finishing whisky in wine casks," said Lumsden. "Of all my experiments, the whiskies in our Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection are among my most prized and delicious. With exceptionally long finishes in precious casks from some of France and Italy’s most renowned wine regions, I’m sure their complexity will delight and intrigue lovers of both whisky and wine.” Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection is available in August through Moët Hennessy Private Client channel for £7,740 (US$9,000). From October, the collection can also be found at Glenmorangie’s Boutique at Heathrow Airport, Terminal 2, as well as in select retail outlets worldwide and the distillery visitor centre in Tain. Earlier this year, Glenmorangie revealed a PX cask-finished Signet Reserve and announced the discontinuation of its Original 10-year-old to make way for a 12-year-old.
