Gordon & MacPhail

► Creators of extraordinary whisky since 1843

For 175 years, Glenmorangie’s Highland whisky creators have summoned all their mastery and vision to craft the exceptional. In Glenmorangie Pride 1974, the oldest, rarest and deepest expression ever to emerge from its award-winning distillery, Glenmorangie shares its most remarkable single malt whisky yet.

Complex, smooth and intensified with age as never before, Glenmorangie Pride 1974 is the pinnacle of Glenmorangie’s illustrious Pride series, comprising the distillery’s most rare and treasured malts. Brought together by creativity and skill, each expression is composed of precious parcels of venerable whisky, nurtured for decades to ensure that they might achieve the utmost depths of character – yet retain their vibrancy. The story of Glenmorangie Pride 1974 began decades ago, in the awardwinning distillery’s towering copper stills. The tallest in Scotland, they allow only the finest vapours to rise to the top, for a light and fragrant spirit. On 30 October, 1974, Glenmorangie’s expert craftsmen, the Men of Tain, laid down two select parcels of this delicate distillate – one in the finest ex-bourbon casks, the other in superior ex-oloroso sherry butts. Then, in the peace of a warehouse, on the Dornoch Firth’s beautiful banks, began a maturation longer than any Glenmorangie had previously achieved. More than a generation later, Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s acclaimed director of distilling, whisky creation & whisky stocks, discerned that the venerable spirit in these casks had reached its very best. And, with the artistry for which he is renowned, he brought the two parcels together in inspired union. “After 41 years of maturation, each parcel had reached a sublime completeness, without sacrificing its character to age. I envisaged in their marriage a whisky intensely rich and deep – yet with a smooth elegance and finesse too,” he explained. “Just as I had hoped, the parcels came together in unparalleled harmony. With its depth of colour, its salty and spicy aromas and wonderful tastes of baked apples, toffee, oranges and molasses, Glenmorangie Pride 1974 is simply beyond comparison.” With only 503 crystal decanters of Glenmorangie Pride 1974 produced, its rare beauty inspired a pioneering collaboration with renowned piano maker Steinway & Sons. And as Steinway artist Aaron Diehl celebrated the brands’ shared passion for craftsmanship and creativity by visiting the Distillery, the whisky became his muse. One of the most sought-after musicians of his generation, Diehl was captivated by the whisky’s evolution. Almost immediately, the virtuoso pianist began to compose a work evoking its complexity, with hints of folk and classical music, as well as jazz improvisation. Honouring Glenmorangie Pride 1974’s Highland provenance, the influences of its casks, its unprecedented maturity – and the vision which brought it into being – Diehl’s creation, which can be downloaded at www.glenmorangie.com, pays homage to a peerless spirit, crafted and timed to perfection.

Opposite ► Glenmorangie Pride 1974, the Highland distillery’s oldest, rarest and deepest whisky to date.

Below ► Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden celebrates the whisky’s rare beauty with virtuoso pianist Aaron Diehl.

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