at Glenmorangie, Macdonald is in charge of coming up with more creativity than the world of single-malt could have even imagined. As an example, she speaks of the brand’s latest Calvados Cask Finish—the fifth release among Glenmorangie’s ‘Barrel Select’ series of small-batch produce. As the name states, Macdonald and her team arrive at such releases by using “unusual” casks in the final years of a whiskey’s maturing phase—this time, they used 20-yearold casks that helped mature Calvados Pays d’Auge, a French fruit brandy based on apples and peaches. “We were really intrigued to see how the soft, orchard notes from the Calvados cask would complement our whiskey’s floral and fruity style. The result entwines scents of baked pears, vanilla and jasmine with tastes of toffee apples, lemon balsam and spice,” describes Macdonald. The brief instantly reminds you of a winter morning picnic from a bygone era—or perhaps, a heady dessert. Experiments with memory The act can very well come across as a bold one. Single-malt, after all, enjoys a strong loyalist following, with an ever-increasing market share. Most consumers of the premium form of whiskey are typically happy to meet lofty price tags based on years of maturity and the rarity of the version—but Glenmorangie, with its young, thought-provoking and evocative renditions, is taking an out-ofthe-box approach. To do this, Macdonald takes a very open approach. “Our ‘A Tale of…’ expressions (of limited-edition whiskies) can be inspired by either a particular flavour that we want to explore, or it could be more experience-led, such as a particular memory or feeling. Sometimes, we experiment with the earlier part of the whiskey-making process, such as malt type—as with Glenmorangie’s A Tale of the Forest. For the cask-focused Barrel IWSR’s 2024 research note states that India is a key volume growth market over the next five years Select series, we primarily focus on the flavour impact of the cask type,” she says. So far, cask-based creations at Glenmorangie have included the Malaga Cask Finish, the Cognac Cask Finish, the Palo Cortado Cask Finish, and the Amontillado Cask Finish. In the ‘A tale of…’ series, Glenmorangie has so far made A Tale of Tokyo and A Tale of Cake, apart from what Macdonald mentions above. What lends it all a sense of mystique is the air of whimsical creativity—almost akin to that of Emily Dickinson, or even Samuel Taylor Coleridge. But, it’s not just about the art—after all, you have to make sure that the creations are appealing to buyers, too. This is where India comes in. IWSR’s 2024 research note states that India is a key volume growth market over the next five years, expected to deliver over 10% of global volume growth by 2027. Adding to that is the advent of Indian single-malt whiskies— showing that as a consumer demographic, this vast market is open to experimenting. “Non-traditional whiskey origins including India may lack the heritage of Scotland… but make up for this with a freedom to innovate. This is thanks to a lack of regulatory restrictions, and less weight of tradition—engaging high-end consumers who are eager to experiment and pay a premium for what they perceive as ‘the next big thing’,” the research note adds. True to this, brands such as Amrut, Godawan, Indri, Paul John and Rampur have proved that the market is ripe for established names to appeal to single-malt consumers. This, potentially, leaves Glenmorangie’s Barrel Select and A Tale of ranges to be bestsellers in India’s whiskey-favouring alco-bev market. Could, then, there be a crafted creation that is tailored to India? Unfortunately, Macdonald doesn’t indulge us further at this point. “We’re constantly experimenting and dreaming up delicious new creations—so, whilst there are no immediate plans for the next edition, anything can happen at Glenmorangie!,” she says. 28|LUXEBOOK |MAY 2024 MAY 2024 |LUXEBOOK|29
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