Glenmorangie’s stunning new whisky is an innovative collaboration between master distiller Bill Lumsden and Japanese artist Azuma Makoto. It’s the second time the two creators have worked together; the first release was an 18-year-old single malt matured in bourbon casks for 15 years and then placed in sherry casks for a further three years.
This new whisky is five years older than its predecessor and is inspired by the concept of ‘shinra bansh’, or love of nature. Makoto, a botanical artist who uses flowers as her primary material, was inspired to work on this new collaboration with Lumsden after visiting the distillery.
For the bottle’s label, Makoto created a striking sculpture inspired by the aromas of the whisky, made from over 200 natural ingredients, including flowers such as orchids and roses, which he sourced from the Ota market in Japan.
The whisky itself is a delicate, complex and delicious single malt inspiration, another first for the distillery. Lumsden used their classic Glenmorangie matured in bourbon casks as the basis for this expression, and blended it with whisky matured in casks previously used to mature Chardonnay from the Meursault region of Burgundy, France; these casks were first released in 2006.
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The result is a layered palate with notes of burnt orange, black pepper spice, cinnamon, molasses, vanilla, ginger, lemon, honey and an oak finish. Bottled at 46% alcohol by volume (ABV) and not chill-filtered for maximum flavour.
“Our collaboration with Azuma Makoto is a delicious celebration of the wonders of nature,” says Lumsden. “The magnificent sculpture of Azuma-san featured on the whisky’s packaging evokes the delicate scents and elemental depths of this exceptionally rare whisky; a gift from nature itself.”
Glenmorangie Dr. Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto 23 Years Old is priced at $1,300 a bottle. The limited-edition whiskey is only available in select markets in the U.S. and a few other countries, so keep your eyes peeled if you want to try it for yourself.
Glenmorangie is located in the Highlands of Scotland and is run by Dr. Bill Lumsden, a Willy Wonka-like figure in the Scotch whisky industry. He has earned this reputation for experimentation, such as using almost every type of cask available to mature his whisky, incorporating different types of barley into his mash formula, and even setting up a micro-distillery on the grounds of the larger operation to produce spirits that might not technically be considered Scotch under government regulations.
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