A new distillery that sits on the shores of the Dornoch Firth will enable Glenmorangie single malt Scotch whisky to experiment with new flavours, finishes and products as it targets ambitious growth.
The Lighthouse “innovation” distillery near Tain in the Highlands represents a multi-million-pound expansion of the world-renowned Glenmorangie brand which pioneered the art of wood finishing, creating a new category of single malt.
The brainchild of Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden, the Lighthouse is home to copper stills featuring a “host of modifications, making all kinds of innovation possible”. These modifications will enable them to alter Glenmorangie’s spirit character and, for example, create a heavier spirit more akin to that associated with Ardbeg, Glenmorangie’s sister distillery on Islay.
Thomas Moradpour, president and chief executive of The Glenmorangie Company, which has been part of luxury consumer goods group LVMH since 2004, said that global demand for Glenmorangie is growing “significantly”, noting: “The first of its kind, our Lighthouse experimental distillery is the keystone of our plans to stay at the forefront of taste innovation.
“By giving our talented creation team free rein, we will welcome even more consumers worldwide to enjoy delicious whiskies.
“We take a long-term view and the Lighthouse will enable us to shape how whisky will look in 10 years and also in 50 years.”
Often dubbed the “Willy Wonka of whisky”, Dr Lumsden’s imagination and willingness to push traditional boundaries has led to the creation of malts such as Glenmorangie’s Cadboll Estate series and Glenmorangie Signet, a whisky that incorporates chocolate malt. He said: “I came up with the idea of an experimental distillery so we could try new things. I presented the idea to Tom’s predecessor and he agreed to provide a certain amount of money.
“What we have at the Lighthouse is unique in Scotland and I would be very surprised if there’s anything like it in distilling anywhere in the world.”
Designed by Barthélémy Griño Architects, the Lighthouse has been “conceived as a whisky-maker’s playground, where flavour takes precedence over yield”. From a sensory lab at the top of the building, Dr Lumsden and his team will “seek to redefine all aspects of whisky-making, creating game-changing, spirit-led single malts with appeal for whisky lovers old and new around the world”.
Like a real lighthouse, the building’s towering 20-metre-high glass stillhouse can be seen for miles around. The design of the Lighthouse, which received a £1 million R&D grant from Scottish Enterprise, is very different from the traditional stone buildings of the main distillery, established over 175 years ago. It is partly powered by biogas, created in Glenmorangie’s own anaerobic digestion plant from the by-products of distillation.
While new product will be some years away, the launch will be marked with the release of Glenmorangie The Lighthouse, a limited-edition malt from Glenmorangie’s existing stocks.
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