Even before Bill Lumsden joined Glenmorangie in February 1995, the Highland brand had established a reputation in the Scotch whisky world as a pioneer of wood finishing. Now, almost 30 years after the fateful collaboration between master distiller and distillery began, the Pursuit of Passion has unveiled its most impressive bottlings of wine cask finished single malts through the Wine Cask Collection.
Comprised of three whiskies matured in wine casks from the world’s three most important wine regions – Burgundy and Bordeaux in France, and Piedmont in Italy – the Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection showcases Lumsden’s personality at its most mature.
Lumsdem describes himself as a wine enthusiast: “My passion for single malt whisky is perhaps only matched by my passion for fine wines,” he says. “My travels to the world’s best vineyards have inspired many experiments with finishing whisky in wine barrels.”
Bottled at 52.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), the 29 year old Margaux Wine Cask Finish was distilled in February 1995 when Lumsden joined Glenmorangie and was initially matured in Bourbon casks. In 2004, Lumsden transferred the whisky from Margaux, where it had spent the last twenty years, into red wine casks. The resulting product is rich, smooth and complex, offering aromas of chocolate, plum and sweet pepper.
The 28-year-old Corton-Charlemagne Wine Cask Finish is the only bottle in the trio to be finished in white wine casks. Similar to the Margaux release, the whisky was distilled in 1995 and then re-casked in Grand Cru Burgundy casks in 2005. Bottled at 52.1% ABV, it is a spicy, soft and full-bodied expression offering notes of jasmine, soft smoke and clove.
Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish is the youngest of the group, as it was distilled in 1996. It matured in bourbon casks until being transferred to Italian red wine casks from Piedmont in 2005. Bottled at 51.3% ABV, the dry, powerful and rich whisky offers notes of leather, spice and eucalyptus.
Only 600 cases of the Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection were produced and come in a handcrafted oak presentation box. The back of the cask is designed to remind buyers of the staves from which the wine barrels are made, while the front reflects the diverse landscapes of the three wine regions.
Currently, the collection is available by inquiry only if you are a Moët Hennessy specialty customer for $9,000. It will be available in October at Glenmorangie’s Boutique in Terminal 2, Heathrow Airport, as well as at select retail locations worldwide and at the distillery visitor center in Tain, Scotland.
Related: We Tasted Hundreds of Scotch Whiskies. These 16 Bottles Are the Best of 2024