| Glenmorangie
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| | running four wash and four spirit stills
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| Single Highland Rare Malt Scotch Whisky
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| | at-the -mme time takes great skill,
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| Few distilleries have been as transformed
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| | especially as some of them behave
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| I the malt explosion as Glenmorangie. 'In
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| | differently. The longest serving man
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| til 1970s there were two stills and we
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| | here, Kenny McDonald, has had .1 running
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| were selling five cases of malt a year,"
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| | battle with Number Two wash still tor
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| says manager Graham Eunson. 'Now we've
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| | years,' says Graham. 'You can come in and
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| go( eight stills, we're the biggest
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| | he's yelling at it. It just doesn't
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| selling malt in little chance that
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| | behave.'
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| success will breed complacency here on
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| | The water and stills each play their part
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| the northeast coast; for this is a firm
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| | in creating Glenmorangie's spicy,
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| that is forever asking why trying out new
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| | pear-drop and apple character, but it is
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| ideas, trying to grasp the elusive secret
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| | rounded out and given added complexity by
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| of Scotch. You might expect space-age
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| | a wood policy, masterminded by Bill
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| control panels, but you won't find any.
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| | Lumsden, that's among the tightest in the
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| 'I've yet to be convinced of the
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| | industry. Not only does the firm now
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| benefits) computerization in a
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| | insist on using only ex-Bourbon casks
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| distillery,' says Graha 'And I'm yet to
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| | made from air-dried wood from certain
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| be convinced that the capit expenditure
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| | slopes in the Ozarks, but it also
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| needed to install computerization
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| | controls what type of warehouses are used
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| justifies laying a man off. you replace a
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| | to age the Glenmorangie stocks.
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| mashman with computer equipment then you
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| | The 10-year-old, for example, has a
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| have to employ an evei more expensive
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| | recipe for first and second fill wood, so
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| engineer to solve any problems.' That was
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| | certain types of casks are placed in
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| music to the ears of Brian Gilmour, who
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| | certain types and areas of warehouses.
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| was mashing as we chatted. He was turning
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| | They are pinning it down to the
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| valves, nudging the temperature this way
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| | microclimate within each warehouse. With
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| and that, and always listening; for, as
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| | an ever-expanding range of finishes and
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| he explained, part of his jol is knowing
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| | plans to release a malt made from barley
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| the significance of each sound -whether
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| | grown on its own farm, the range just
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| it's the change in pitch of the pump or
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| | keeps growing. Graham believes this is
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| the switchers girning away. 'The fact
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| | the difference between a malt-led company
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| it's manual keeps you involved,' he says.
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| | and a blend-led one.
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| 'It giv< it that personal touch - and
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| | I worked for a blend-led firm before this
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| there's always something to be done!'
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| | and you were a number. The people who
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| It means that Glenmorangie's long-running
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| | took the decisions on whether you are
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| 16 Men of Tain campaign is no PR gloss.
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| | open or shut didn't know who they were
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| Neither are these old guys looking back
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| | affecting or how their decisions impacted
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| with rose-tinted glasses. This is a youni
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| | on people and communities. The guys here
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| team well aware of the needs of today's J
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| | have strong feelings about Glenmorangie's
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| industry, but faithful to tradition. 'I'm
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| | success. They are the custodians of the
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| a traditionalist, but a realist as well,'
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| | distillery and the fact that they make
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| says Graham. T don't believe in change
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| | something that's known worldwide gives
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| for change's sake and altering production
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| | them enormous pride.'
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| to cu the workforce is beyond me. Can you
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| | TASTING NOTES
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| imagine if Glenmorangie was the 16
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| | Glenmorangie 10-year-old
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| megabytes of Tain?'
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| | The benchmark distillery style: pear
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| The workforce here understands their
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| | drops, light orange and citrus fruit,
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| distillery's little quirks - from the use
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| | light spice and a crisp note. Delicate
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| of ha water to the tall, slim stills that
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| | but with a good, smooth and soft body.
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| stand like elegant pillars in the
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| | Glenmorangie 15-year-oldfinished in new
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| cathedral-like stillhou Their height and
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| | wood 43%ABV Creme brulee, orange peel and
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| narrowness means not only this there's
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| | vanilla. Light spice and a hint of sooty
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| considerable interplay between vapour and
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| | wood. A mix of bracing air and vanilla on
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| copper, but that only the lightest Vti
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| | the finish.
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| pours can force their way to the top. But
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