Glenmorangie Distillery Profile

Situated on the outskirts of the ancient burgh of Tain, some 30 miles north of Inverness, the Glenmorangie distillery produces Scotland's best-selling single malt whisky.

Many Scottish distilleries are to be found in beautiful settings, but Glenmorangie's location on the shores of the Cromarty Firth has a quiet and almost mystical charm about it. This is an area of Scotland often neglected by visitors, but apart from its natural attractions, it is fertile territory for the distillery-bagger, with Teaninich and Dalmore to the south and Balblair just a few miles to the west.

The distillery was established in 1843 by William Mathieson, using the remnants of McKenzie & Gallie's Morangie Brewery, which has existed since 1738.  After the indefatigable Alfred Barnard visited Glenmorangie in the mid 1880's he wrote that it was "certainly the most ancient and primitive [distillery] we have seen, and now almost in ruins". Tthe distillery was rebuilt soon afterwards, in 1887, and most of the present day structure dates from that time.

Glenmorangie is Gaelic for "glen of tranquillity" as anyone who has seen the popular television adverts will know.

The "Sixteen Men of Tain" who make the whisky are also familiar from print adverts all over the world. Orkney-born distillery manager Graham Eunson is at pains to point out there really are 16 men employed in the production of the single malt, noting that Glenmorangie single Highland malt is genuinely produced by humans.

Glenmorangie stands out from the crowd of distilleries for a number of reasons, not least its use of hard, mineral-rich water, taken from the Tarlogie springs. Few other Scottish distilleries use hard water and this is one of the more mystical aspects of the Glenmorangie production process.  Tarlogie spring water undoubtedly contributes in some mysterious way to the overall elegance and complexity of the whisky.

Without doubt, the Glenmorangie stillhouse is one of the great sights to be seen in any Scottish distillery, right up there with the idiosyncrasies of Dalmore and Pulteney and the sheer scale of Glenfiddich. Capacity was doubled in 1979 when two new stills were installed, and there are now eight in operation, with the most recent pair dating from 1990.

Walking into the stillhouse, the first thing that strikes you is the light and airy nature of this environment, with its pale wood panelling and high, Dutch barn-style roof.  The gleaming, showpiece stills are modelled on the original London ex-gin stills installed when the distillery was created, and each is 26 feet 3 inches tall, with 16 feet 10 and one quarter inch necks.

According to Graham Eunson, "these are the tallest stills in Scotland, with extremely long, narrow necks. We get more reflux than anyone else, due to the size and shape. There is more surface contact with the copper than probably anywhere else.  Never mind the height and narrowness is very important. It gives the light, fruity, floral, delicate, complex house style of Glenmorangie".

These elegant stills are certainly kept busy, producing some four million litres of spirit per annum. As much of that "make" as possible is matured in 14 on-site warehouses, and the casks used for maturation are first and second fill Bourbon barrels. In addition to its core range, Glenmorangie has also been at the forefront in pioneering cask finishes, and has the most extensive wood management programme in the whole Scotch whisky industry.

Independent expressions of the make are famously non-existent, with Graham Eunson explaining "No Glenmorangie is filled for third parties. Since the 1980's no one has been able to buy Glenmorangie except in bottles."