The whiskey world has just been stirred, perhaps a bit shaken, with the launch of a premium spirit that has no equal.
The recently-launched Glenmorangie Pride 1974 is touted as the “most prestigious Highland single malt ever created by Glenmorangie”.
It is the Distillery’s oldest, rarest and deepest whiskey – and hyped as its most prized expression yet.
Glenmorangie Pride 1974 boasts a mahogany colour, with a soft mouthfeel, and a gently soothing aftertaste, reminiscent of pecan nuts, leather, fudge and creamy café latte.
It is the third-edition release in the collection, showcasing the Distillery’s most scarce and treasured malts.
A recent private tasting at SoHo House in Toronto was hosted by Ruaraidh Macintyre, national brand manager, and Brendan McCarron, Glenmorangie’s head of maturing whiskey stocks. The beverage was paired with brie and cold cuts; grilled lettuce that was flavored with chickpeas and sesame; baked chicken and salmon, and finished with a tri-flavored gelato.
Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky originates in the Scottish Highlands where the product has been manufactured since 1843. According to McCarron, the Scotch produced there is made from local groundwater that has bubbled up to the surface, naturally salty.
This particular exquisite whiskey was created from spirit distilled in Scotland’s tallest stills – about fifteen feet high – by Glenmorangie’s legendary Men of Tain, and laid down Oct. 30, 1974. Some stills were aged in white oak former bourbon casks, some in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. The whiskey absorbs the flavors of oak and bourbon over time, says McCarron, adding to its unique character, and a finer finished product.
Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation, Distilling, and Whisky Stocks says the new beverage’s result has a deep, rich, salty and spicy aroma – with tonnes of aged balsamic vinegar, salted caramel toffee, and oranges, leading to a taste of baked apples, oranges, and brown sugar.
Lumsden, with a Ph.D. in biochemistry, joined Glenmorangie in 1995 and was honored with the title of Master Distiller/Blender of the Year, at Whisky Magazine’s Icons of Whisky 2016 awards.
Glenmorangie Pride 1974 is specially designed for connoisseurs, with just 503 crystal decanters available. It retails for $11,750 CDN.
