Glenmorangie, based in Tain in the Highlands region of Scotland, now owned by Louis Vuitton-MoetHennessy (LVMH), is one of Scotland's best-selling single malt whisky brands. It is one of Scotland's best-selling single malt whisky brands.
Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 by William Matheson, but it was not until 1849 that the distillery began production. Under William's leadership, who had extensive experience in distilling, the distillery grew rapidly and in 1880, Glenmorangie began export sales with great success and was acquired by the Glenmorangie Distillery Co. Ltd. in 1887, with 40 per cent of Glenmorangie sold to Glenmorangie Distillers Ltd. in 1918. In 1918, 40 per cent of the shares in Glengyle were sold to Glengyle's largest customer, Macdonald & Muir Ltd. and the remaining 60 per cent to the whisky trading company, Durham. Shortly afterwards, Macdonald & Muir Ltd. acquired all the shares in Granger and in 1931 the distillery was forced to close under the combined weight of the Great Depression and Prohibition in the USA. It was not until 1936 that the distillery resumed production. However, the distillery was closed again in 1941-1944 due to a shortage of fuel and barley during World War II. The distillery never ceased production, and in 2004, McDonald's & Müller transferred Granger to LVMH. Under the leadership of LVMH, Grange has grown in size and competitiveness.
The word ‘Glenmorangie’ means ‘quiet valley’ in Scots Gaelic, and the unhurried and meticulous winemaking process at Glenmorangie Distillery bears this out. Granger Distillery is equipped with eight pot stills, four of which are 12,500 litre Wash Still and four of which are 8,000 litre Spirit Still. Distilling at the distillery is carried out by a team led by Dr Bill Lumsden, affectionately known as The Men of Tain. The Men of Tain draw their water from the Tarlogie Spring above Grange, whose rich minerals give Grange whisky its distinctive flavour. In addition, Grange has the highest still in Scotland at 7.9 metres, and only the purest vapour reaches the top of the still and flows back down the neck, resulting in a smooth distillate. It is worth noting that the oak casks in which Granger ages its whiskies are custom-made and made from the distillery's own oak grown in the forests of the Ozark Mountains in the United States. The distillery leaves the new barrels idle for two years, then lends them to Jack Daniel's and Heaven Hill to age their Bourbon Whiskey. Granger then used the barrels to make his own whisky. In addition to the Bourbon Casks, some of Granger's whiskies are transferred to Port Casks, Sherry Casks or French Sauternes Casks for additional flavour. The fact that there are 14 earthen warehouses for oak casks is one of the reasons for the distinctive flavour of Granger whisky. In addition, the Granger Distillery does not bottle its own whisky, which is bottled by specialised bottlers.
Prior to 2019, Grange Port Cask whisky was sold in an aged 12 year old version, with a new aged 14 year old release in April 2019, where the distillery extended the maturation of its popular single malt whisky, maturing it in EX bourbon casks (using only first and re-fill casks), followed by a final maturation in port casks, for a smooth, rounded and fruity taste.
