This new Glenmorangie venue will be the production studio for imagination and innovation for spirit-led whiskies made possible by the use of new technologies and spearheaded by Master Blender Dr. Bill Lumsden and his creative team.
Glenmorangie has been creating delicious whisky since 1843 when farmer William Matheson and his wife Anne followed their dreams and founded the Glenmorangie Distillery. They have been dreaming up wondrous whiskies in the very same spot, ever since.
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Innovation at Glenmorangie
Director of Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, is endlessly experimental in his quest to dream up delicious whiskies for more people to enjoy. As the demographics for scotch whisky have become younger and more adventurous, this is a fantastic new addition to keep production levels up with anticipation high for the future of the sector. Bill is an incredibly brilliant and creative man. In fact, he’s a scientist by trade who has a PHD in fermentation science. He uses both his left and right brain when it comes to coming up with new ideas and making them happen! This lighthouse was conceived and built to bring Dr. Bill’s most extraordinary ideas to life! Bill and his team can let their imaginations run wild.
The multi-million-pound Lighthouse is named for its landmark approach to whisky. Like an actual lighthouse, the 20m-high stillhouse can be seen for miles around and is the Glenmorangie legacy. Offering unique flexibility with ingredients and processes, it’s designed for deliciousness, rather than yield. The key areas of innovation include:
Stillhouse:
Equipped with two of the giraffe-high stills which enable Glenmorangie’s delicate,
fruity spirit. But the new stills feature a host of modifications which allow them to alter spirit
character by acting as if they were shorter – or even taller.
Brewhouse:
Constructed in the traditional style of the main Distillery, this stone building offers scope for myriad experiments with barley, water and yeast during mashing and brewing.
Sensory laboratory:
Above the stillhouse, with coastal views, the laboratory offers Dr. Bill’s team the rare chance to study raw spirit and play with their experiments as they evolve.
Power source:
Glenmorangie is committed to preserving and sustaining its wonderful Highland surroundings. As a result, the Lighthouse will be partly powered by biogas, created in Glenmorangie’s own anaerobic digestion plant, from the by-products of distillation.
There is nothing like this in Scotland or anywhere else in the world! The Glenmorangie Lighthouse is created with bourbon and sherry casks now encased in the walls. Designed to look like an actual lighthouse by the highland coastline. Although there are no visitors allowed inside, one can see the gorgeous architecture from the outside and can also see inside the building. This stunning glass tower offers all Glenmorangie’s visitors a glimpse of its two copper stills. Modelled on the 12 giraffe-high stills in Glenmorangie’s main stillhouse, these new stills have been custom-designed by the Distillery’s whisky creators.
The Next Generation of Scotch Drinkers
Glenmorangie is aware and excited about a new younger consumer who is getting into the premium scotch whisky category. They also recognize the democratization of whisky with the growth of craft cocktails and mixologists. The new drinker of Glenmorangie is diverse, craves great experiences, desires delicious drinks, and are coming into the category from un-traditional categories like Cognac and Tequila. The good news is, they are going to the best of single malt right away.
Dr. Bill gets his inspiration for new categories and types of whisky from “everywhere and anywhere.” He says he has vivid dreams and scribbles in his notebook, as well as travels to different cultures, eating new foods as ways to get inspired for new flavours and aromas. Bill also says he is inspired by the world of wine.
Glenmorangie Signet – James Bond’s Scotch
Speaking of innovation, let’s talk about the Glenmorangie Signet, a scotch Whisky inspired by James Bond who drinks Jamaican roasted coffee – this whisky is the boldest, most richly flavoured in the range! With notes of mocha, coffee, chocolate, almond biscotti, cinnamon, ginger and clove it’s an explosion of flavours!
Released in 2008, Glenmorangie Signet is arguably the most innovative Scotch whisky created for generations. Signet’s origins lie in Glenmorangie’s precious chocolate malt spirit, made just once a year from barley which has been tumble-roasted, rather like coffee beans. Its espresso-like intensity fills the Distillery with aromas more familiar in an Italian coffee bar. Over the years, its power is tempered with rare and treasured casks: bourbon for creaminess, sherry for sweetness and the spice of virgin charred oak, all balanced by some of Glenmorangie’s oldest stocks. The result is a velvet explosion of flavour, so adored by the experts that Signet was named IWC Whisky of the Year in 2016.
Glenmorangie Gives Back to the Giraffes
The giraffe has long been the spirit animal of Glenmorangie. After all, this majestic animal is the same height as their towering stills. Although the giraffe is known and loved at Glenmorangie, and across the world, few are aware of the threat it faces in the wild. Numbers have fallen by 30% in just 30 years – and some types of giraffe are now critically endangered.
Knowing how urgently the giraffe needs help, Glenmorangie have pioneered a conservation partnership with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation charity, which aims to secure a future for all wild giraffe populations in Africa. Find out more at https://giraffeconservation.org/.
