Glenmorangie Finished Its New 25-Year Scotch in Casks That Previously Contained a Type of Wine Beloved By the Distillery’s Whisky Director

Glenmorangie unveiled a scotch whisky finished in Pommard whisky casks. (Photo: Glenmorangie)

Whisky Advocate reported on Wednesday that Glenmorangie released a 25-year-old scotch whisky from Glenmorangie that was finished in Pommard wine casks, and it is available only at London’s Heathrow Airport. Just 1,000 bottles exist and the whisky hosts a suggested retail price of £2,100 ($2,650).

According to Wine Folly, Pommard is the name of a village in Burgundy and a clone of Pinot Noir, a grape commonly grown in France’s Burgundian wine region.

The Spirits Business reported that Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden has a soft spot in his heart for Burgundian wines from Pommard, which inspired the release.

“The red wines of Pommard are among my very favorite wines in the world,” Lumsden said, according to DFNI Magazine. “And hoping to bring their classic, fruity red burgundy notes to Glenmorangie, I first started experimenting with Pommard wine casks around 2008.”

Whisky Advocate reports that the 51.6%-ABV whisky was matured in bourbon barrels for 10 years and finished in the Pommard red wine casks for 15 years.

“When I first tasted it, I could hardly believe its complexity,” Lumsden said, sharing his thoughts on the whisky according to DFNI Magazine. “The aroma is very perfumed, with notes of lemon sherbet, plums, cherries and honey. The taste is like a basket of fruits: red, juicy apples, honeydew melon, crystalized ginger and a hint of milk chocolate.”

Whisky Advocate claims Lumsden is “a serious wine connoisseur” and often draws inspiration for Glenmorangie whiskies from the wine world. He uses his wine knowledge to play around with different cask finishes in the whisky maturation process.

This limited-quantity release follows Glenmorangie’s first release of the year, an expression within the brand’s Barrel Select Series that dropped in January.

The whisky was finished in French Calvados casks from Normandy. Calvados is an apple brandy that hails from the region.

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