Getting to Know Glenmorangie with Gillian Macdonald

Glenmorangie Distillery is a trailblazer in the world of Scotch whisky. Not only is it renowned for housing the tallest stills in Scotland and its dedication to producing exceptional Highland single malt, but it has also cemented its place as a whisky icon in more ways than one. It was the first distillery of its time to experiment with wood and its influence on flavour, paving the way for the diverse range of cask-finished whiskies we enjoy today.

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This month, we are proud to shine a spotlight on the revered distillery. Our September auction beautifully reflects Glenmorangie’s dual legacy, showcasing more than 120 lots that span its rich history. Highlights include heritage pieces such as the 1974 Original Maltings (distilled with barley from the distillery’s old floor maltings) and the ground breaking Port Wood Finish that helped pioneer secondary maturation. Leading the collection is the prestigious 1978 Pride 19 Year Old - the second release of Glenmorangie Pride in an opulent Baccarat crystal decanter.

To gain deeper insight into these iconic whiskies and the distillery’s philosophy, we spoke with Gillian Macdonald, Master Blender and Head of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. Join us as she guides us through Glenmorangie’s unparalleled journey of wood and spirit.

So Gillian, how did you first become involved in the whisky industry, and what led you to your role at Glenmorangie?

At the end of 2003 I’d just returned to Wales after travelling after university, and Penderyn Distillery were looking for a trainee distiller. At that point, whisky wasn’t really on my radar as a career – but as a graduate with a degree in chemistry I was curious. I applied for the role, was accepted, and started in 2004. I was there for eight years and worked in a variety of roles as Distiller and Blender, including working with the legendary Dr Jim Swan on cask selection and maturation, as well as some ambassador work. I learnt so much during this time, but then in 2012 I got the job with The Glenmorangie Company. Glenmorangie had been on my radar for some time as we used to use the Glenmorangie Madeira Wood Finish as a reference point at Penderyn, and I had met Dr Bill Lumsden a couple of times previously at industry events. It was a company I’d been attracted to for some time for its innovation and quality of spirit, both at Glenmorangie and Ardbeg. 

Glenmorangie is famed for its pioneering approach to cask innovation. Could you tell us a little bit about these early experimentation phases and how important wood policy is today in shaping the distillery’s identity?

Glenmorangie’s house style is centred around the use of exceptionally high-quality bourbon casks to give the spirit’s approachable, elegant character a delicious creamy and full flavour. Back in the 80s, the distillery heavily invested in an industry research project to explore the effects of different types of casks during the maturation process. They filled a whole host of different casks with a view to try and find out what suited Glenmorangie’s spirit character the best, and to decide on the quality requirement for our wood policy going forward. The result was what we now refer to as our ‘designer’ casks – slow grown American oak casks that have been air seasoned, heavily toasted, lightly charred and seasoned with bourbon for four years. 

These casks are much more expensive to create but result in a much more intense and full flavour. We use a proportion of whisky matured in our designer casks for our Glenmorangie Original recipe, and we only ever use our casks twice at Glenmorangie – any more, and we find the flavour isn’t as good as it could be.  

But beyond The Original, Glenmorangie have been known as pioneers of maturation since the 1990s; we were one of the first distilleries to perfect the art of wood finishing, and ever since then have been constantly experimenting with new and unusual casks to create more flavours for whisky lovers to explore – from finishes inspired by Dr Bill’s love of wine, to Japanese Mizunara oak, and Truffle oak to name a few. The mission of our Whisky Creation Team is to ensure the quality of our spirit is always at its very best. We have a detailed wood policy, as well as great relationships with suppliers.

If you had to only pick one, what release do you think really shows Glenmorangie pushing boundaries in terms of maturation or flavour development, and what did it meant to the team?

I would need to say Glenmorangie Signet (launched in 2008). Signet is a whisky that really shook up the industry as it is made from high roast ‘chocolate’ malt, then matured in bourbon, new-char oak and Oloroso casks, before being married together with some of the distillery’s oldest stocks. The result is an incredibly decedent expression of Glenmorangie that takes our elegant, complex character into much deeper, darker realms of flavour.  Signet was in the pipeline for some time, and its inspiration came from Dr Bill Lumsden’s love of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - expect to find notes of espresso, chocolate and tiramisu. I know it’s one of his proudest creations to date, and it’s still iconic! We’ve recently created a new iteration of Signet with Signet Reserve, which is a parcel of Signet stock that has been further matured in PX casks for even more richness.

Looking back, are there particular milestones or innovations that you feel have defined Glenmorangie’s reputation in the whisky world?

In addition to the creation of Glenmorangie’s bespoke designer casks, I would also say that the distillery’s early leap into experimenting with wood finishing was a defining time in the 1990s. In more recent years, specifically in 2021, we unveiled a new experimental distillery on site – The Lighthouse. 

Are there any past or recent Glenmorangie releases you believe will be remembered as future icons of Scotch whisky?

Glenmorangie Signet is up there as one of our icons in terms of whisky creation, along with our imaginative ‘A Tale of…’ whiskies; A Tale of Cake was the first release in this series and was inspired by the sweet, celebratory moment of indulging in a delicious slice of cake. The series has welcomed numerous other innovations over the years including A Tale of the Forest, where we dried our barley with woodland botanicals to create flavours reminiscent of a walk in the woods. Looking further into the past, I think the early Glenmorangie extra matured range will be remembered for decades to come – these whiskies were really the start of an adventurous journey of cask sourcing and experimentation that paved the way for where we are today.

Without giving too much away, what excites you most about Glenmorangie’s future projects?

The Lighthouse distillery is very exciting for the future of Glenmorangie. We have a lot of quirky ideas and experiments going on… who knows where that will lead! In terms other whiskies in development, we are always working on something new and have numerous ideas in the pipeline.

On a personal note, do you have a favourite Glenmorangie expression and what makes it special to you? 

For me it has got to be Glenmorangie Original. It’s the defining expression of Glenmorangie’s classic Highland character and presents the distillery’s style at its best. 

If you could pick any of the Glenmorangie whiskies from our current auction, which would you choose and why?

There’s such an incredible collection. Glenmorangie Original through the ages would be amazing to taste, to see how it has evolved. Glenmorangie Burr Oak Reserve is another I’d love to try as I’d be interested to see how this different oak style complements our spirit. There are so many Glenmorangie treasures in this auction, some of which I haven’t seen on the market in many years and so many from the past that I didn’t think I’d see again. It’s wonderful to think that Glenmorangie fans around the globe will have the chance to get their hands on some of these whiskies.

What do you love most about sharing Glenmorangie’s whiskies with the world?

Glenmorangie is often shared and enjoyed during celebrations and significant milestones and it’s lovely to think what you’re making is going to be a part of something special. But more generally, I love being able to give whisky lovers old and new a taste of our Highland home, but within a full spectrum of flavour possibilities.

With over 120 lots available, our September auction offers collectors a unique opportunity to acquire pieces of Glenmorangie’s dynamic and celebrated legacy.

Whisky Auctioneer regularly welcomes rare and collectible Glenmorangie whisky expressions in our monthly auctions. Browse all of our past Glenmorangie whisky lots or contact us if you are interested in selling a bottle of Glenmorangie.