Glenmorangie’s new innovation distillery, the Lighthouse, is a game-changer for the single malt Scotch whisky producer.
Single malt Scotch is the Holy Grail of whisky: a humble trio of malted barley, water and yeast that’s transformed into a life-affirming ambrosia through the application of heat, time and oak. But in a deep-rooted industry that protects its craft with a strict set of rules, how does a company stand out and make whiskies that are innovative, playful and unique? Highland distillery Glenmorangie has a few ideas.
READ: Hong Kong’s LPM Restaurant Launches Cocktail Menu Inspired by French Bon-vivant Jean Cocteau
Spread out along the banks of Dornoch Firth a few miles north of Inverness, the 175-year-old stone stillhouses of the original distillery—home to the company’s 12 gleaming copper stills, each as tall as a giraffe—and the black-roofed barrel warehouses are typical of Scotland’s centuries-old whisky making tradition. But today, Glenmorangie cuts a more contemporary figure after unveiling the Lighthouse, a 20-metre-tall innovation distillery where the company’s whisky creation team, fondly known as ‘The Distillers of Tain’, can unleash their creativity using some of the most advanced whisky making technology in the world.
Designed by French architectural firm Barthélémy Griño and built using glass, steel and wood from reclaimed whisky barrels, the Lighthouse marks the start of a new era for Glenmorangie, which has undergone a major transformation since being taken over by French luxury house LVMH in 2004.
If the new distillery is a Lighthouse, Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden is its keeper: a man followed by an ever-growing trail of accolades, including the fact that he’s been named International Whisky Competition Master Distiller of the Year more times than anyone else in the business. Dr. Bill has been at the forefront of the company’s renaissance for the last 26 years, guiding it from plodding mediocrity when he joined in the mid-1990s, to the powerhouse it is today.
READ: Audemars Piguet Reimagines Code 11.59 Tourbillon in Two Tone Grey
The Limitations of Innovation
Glenmorangie was a pioneer in wood-ageing whisky in oak barrels. To date, ‘finishing’ distilled spirit in barrels used to age wines and spirits is what gives single malt Scotch its unique flavours; that and the distinct nutty, spicy and fruity aromas that come from malted barley and water. (Every drop of Glenmorangie that finds its way into your glass originated from the Tarlogie Springs, a natural water source that bubbles to the surface in a protected woodland near the distillery.)
After being aged for ten years in bourbon barrels made with wood from the Ozark Mountains, a portion of Glenmorangie is further aged in different casks for another few years, allowing the residual flavours and deep tannin textures of the oak to work their magic. From Burgundy and Bordeaux barrels to casks used for aging port and Pedro Ximénez, the whisky creation team has dabbled with all manner of oak over the years, giving birth to the variety of styles seen throughout the range.
So what exactly can you do differently in an experimental distillery?
“Anything and everything: nothing’s off the table,” says Dr Bill as we walk out onto the top-floor viewing deck of the Lighthouse, sampling a dram of the limited-edition Lighthouse whisky that was finished in the sherry casks used in the building’s construction. Take maturation and wood-ageing out of the equation, he explains, and every other part of the process—malting, mashing, milling, fermentation and distillation—is open for experimentation. And that’s where the Lighthouse comes in.
READ: Mindful Mixers Arrive in Hong Kong
Behind the 20-metre glass façade of the new stillhouse, one of the two gleaming copper stills is fitted with a host of modifications including a water-cooled collar, giving Dr Bill the flexibility to create a heavier whisky closer in style to those made at Glenmorangie’s sister company, Ardbeg, or an even lighter, fruitier spirit; decisions that will be made in the top-floor sensory laboratory where we’re currently standing, overlooking the sublime landscape of Dornoch Firth and the Scottish Highlands.
The Perpetual Experimenter
Innovation is nothing new at Glenmorangie. Dr Bill, who holds a PhD in biochemistry, has been experimenting with flavours and textures for years: dabbling with different strains of yeast, including the wild variety found on barley grown at Glenmorangie’s own Cadbol Estate; and with different types of malted barley including the rare Maris Otter, which gave birth to Glenmorangie Tùsail, part of the company’s Private Edition collection. Other recent creations include Glenmorangie: A Tale of Cake, finished in Tokaji dessert wine barrels and designed to enjoy with an actual slice of cake; and X by Glenmorangie, created with sweeter characteristics that makes it ideal for cocktails.
READ: Watches for Would-Be Flyboys
But in the past, innovation was extracurricular; something the whisky creation team could play with when the main job of creating world-class whisky was done. Today, with the opening of the Lighthouse, it has become part of the company’s mandate.
It’s all part of what Glenmorangie President and CEO Thomas Moradpour refers to as “taking the long view”, a sentiment reflected in other investments across the business: from the recent refurbishment of Glenmorangie House—a boutique hotel ten miles away on the Moray Firth—to a raft of new sustainable innovations including an anaerobic digestor that uses biowaste to power the distillery, and an oyster propagation programme in the Dornoch Firth.
When he visited the Glenmorangie Distillery in the 1880s, legendary whisky writer Alfred Barnard said that it was “certainly the most ancient and primitive we have seen”. Today, that statement couldn’t be further from the truth, as the Lighthouse ushers in a new chapter for the company; one that will have a significant influence on the future of Scotland’s finest export.
For more Wines & Spirits inspiration click here.
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? FOLLOW ALPHA MEN ASIA ON FACEBOOK, OR INSTAGRAM AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HONG KONG-CENTRIC NEWSLETTER HERE
