This month Charles Maclean reviews Glenmorangie 'Extremely Rare' 18 Year Old
Living Legacy.

Glenmorangie's 18 Years Old ‘Extremely Rare' expression "embodies our house style", Dr. Bill Lumsden tells me. "It develops and fills out the characteristics of the 10 Years Old, adding another dimension, but it remains true to its origin".

Bill has been Glenmorangie's Head of Distilling and Flavour Creation since 1998, and was formerly the distillery's manager. He is one of the best respected figures in the entire Scotch whisky industry.

Glenmorangie's house style is light but complex. The light style may be accounted for by the extraordinary height of the stills - at nearly seventeen feet, the tallest of any distillery in Scotland - and by its relatively small boil-pots, which increase the exposure of the spirit vapour to copper, a purifier.

The mature whisky's complexity comes from a wide range of sources. Twenty years ago Pentlands Scotch Whisky Research Institute identified twenty key aromas in Glenmorangie, and allocated them to the various stages of the production process, according to when the aroma was first detected, as follows:

From malting: almond, hazelnut
From fermentation: apple, banana, hay, rose
From distillation: honey, lemon, juniper, geranium
From maturation: cade oil, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, coconut
From finishing: blackcurrant, brown sugar, orange, plum, raisin

Dr. Jim Swan, who was Operations Director of Pentlands at the time, wrote:
"It may reasonably be argued that, amongst malt whiskies, Glenmorangie has the best balanced fragrance spectrum". No mean accolade from the industry's leading independent sensory chemist!

The ‘extra dimension' Bill Lumsden refers to comes from a process called ‘wood finishing', a technique pioneered by Glenmorangie in the mid-1980s whereby the spirit is matured in American oak ex-Bourbon casks, then re-racked for the final years of maturation into casks which have previously contained other spirits or wines.

The first ‘wood finished' expression of Glenmorangie was the legendary 1963, released in 1987 and finished in Oloroso sherry butts. The 18 Years Old followed in 1990 (re-released as a core range malt in 1992), and then by a wide range of other finishes - Port-wood, Madeira, Bordeaux, Rhone, Malaga, Burgundy, Sauternes, Rum, Cognac... The core range has now been ‘rationalised' to three finishes - Port (‘Quinta Ruban'), Sauternes (‘Nectar d'Or') and Oloroso sherry (‘Lasanta'). The 18 Years Old, is now finished for 36 months in Spanish oak ex-Oloroso sherry butts.

The label bears the legend: "Perfected by the Sixteen Men of Tain", a line adopted thirty years ago, when Glenmorangie began to be promoted as a single malt. The agency employed was Holmes, Knight, Ritchie, one of the most creative outfits in London at the time, and the legendary David Holmes himself may have come up with the concept of ‘The Sixteen Men of Tain', although much credit must go to Neil McKerrow, Glenmorangie's marketing director at the time (and later managing director).

The campaign emphasised the craftsmanship that went into making the whisky by featuring wood-cuts of all the people involved - from distillery manager to tractor-man. The message was clear: "this is not just any old drink; it is made by humans, with care, skill and experience". Compared with other whisky advertising at the time this was highly innovative.

It ran for two decades, and undoubtedly contributed mightily to Glenmorangie's huge success. By 1982, the year after the campaign broke, Glenmorangie was able to describe itself as ‘Scotland's Favourite malt' - a distinction it has retained ever since - and it now stands at Number Four best seller in the world, with a 9% market share.

Tasting Note: Deep amber, with good legs (indicating texture). The top notes are fruity, led by mandarin peel, with traces of banana, apple, orange and pear - reminiscent of an alcoholic fruit salad: juicy. Behind this a faint Fruit & Nut chocolate note emerges after a while, with traces of vanilla and honeycomb, then a fugitive floral scent (lavender?). The overall impression is fresh, elegant and graceful.

The taste is sweet, but fresh and not cloying, with some citric acidity, drying to a medium-length finish. Some almonds, coconut and dried fruits in the aftertaste. A good balance of primary tastes. A drop of water softens the mouth-feel and introduces peaches to the fruit salad impression.

Occasion: Very easy to drink at any time, but also rewards contemplation.

Comment: Sophisticated and elegant; delicate, complex and multi-layered. A perfect example of Glenmorangie's style.