Glenmorangie has released the Glenmorangie 50 Years Old, the oldest whisky ever bottled by the Highland distillery. The extremely rare expression comprises 149 numbered bottles, each presented in a bespoke porcelain vessel, and is available from September priced at £25,800 (US$34,700 / €30,000).
The whisky was distilled in the mid-1970s using some of the last batches of barley malted at the distillery’s own floor maltings, which were decommissioned in 1977. Following distillation in the brand’s tall copper stills, the spirit was laid down to mature in bourbon hogshead casks and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts.
The liquid had already aged for around two decades when Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden MBE joined Glenmorangie as distillery manager in 1995. During his early years, he identified a handful of casks with the potential for significant ageing.
In 1999, Lumsden selected a small parcel of whisky, comprising mostly bourbon-cask liquid with a smaller portion from sherry butts, and married it in a single refill hogshead barrel. The cask was chosen for its tight cooperage, which allowed a slow, extended maturation and controlled wood/whisky interaction.
Over the next 25 years, the whisky developed depth and complexity, balancing the distillery’s house style with sherried notes. After five decades in total, Lumsden deemed it ready to bottle.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old is non-chill filtered and bottled at 45.7% ABV cask strength.
According to the official notes from the brand, the whisky is dark mahogany in color, with aromas of amber, cardamom, sultanas, nutmeg and baked oranges, leading to toffee and leather. On the palate, it is gently peppery, with flavors of toffee, stewed Assam tea leaves, birch tar, cinnamon and grape must. The finish is long, revealing hints of aniseed, treacle toffee and eucalyptus.
To mark the release, Glenmorangie partnered with American ceramic artist Peter Pincus to create a display for each of the 149 bottles.
Pincus, his partner Laurie, and their studio team spent more than three years handcrafting the vessels. Inspired by the whisky’s tasting notes, they created 50 bespoke color pigments to form an individual pattern on each piece. Together, the vessels form a tessellated wall of art titled ‘Together in Spirit’.
“The release of the Glenmorangie 50 Years Old has to be one of my proudest creations,” said Lumsden. “I often wondered if the day would ever come that we’d be able to bottle a Glenmorangie with such a mighty age statement.”
He added: “It’s also particularly special that this whisky was created from some of the last batches of barley to be malted on site at the distillery in the mid-1970s, which has added rare hints of smoke to its flavour profile.”
Pincus said: “When we visited Glenmorangie and tasted this incredible 50-year-old whisky we were inspired with so many ideas for how to present it. We have pioneered new techniques that have never been used in ceramics before.”
Lumsden, who was made an MBE in 2025 for services to the Scotch whisky industry, has led whisky creation at the distillery for more than 30 years.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old will be available through the Moët Hennessy Private Client Team, the distillery visitor center in Tain and select retailers, with private enquiries welcome at glenmorangie.com.
Read the full article at Glenmorangie Unveils Its Oldest Ever Whisky At 50 Years Old
