Glenmorangie Releases Their Oldest Single Malt Ever, Pairs It With Music

Glenmorangie has announced a new limited edition release, Glenmorangie Pride 1974, the third and most prestigious expression in the distillery’s Pride series, which celebrates rare and treasured creations. Designed for connoisseurs, only 503 crystal decanters of the $9,050, 41 year old single malt were made, some of them arriving in the U.S. in April 2017.

This exquisite single malt whisky owes its exquisite character to the marriage of two whiskies from two casks, one matured for its entire life in ex-bourbon casks, the other in ex-Oloroso sherry butts. The whisky exhibits a salty and spicy character, intensified with age and showcases Glenmorangie’s dedication to its craft and wood management.

Glenmorangie Pride 1974 was created from spirit distilled in Scotland’s tallest stills. Laid down the finest casks on October 30, 1974, the spirit spent decades maturing under the expert care of these select craftsmen, until Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks Dr. Bill Lumsden deemed that it had reached its very peak. Only then, did Lumsden skillfully marry the two parcels together, realizing his vision for Glenmorangie’s oldest expression, deeper in color and character than any other.

The most prized Highland single malt whisky ever to emerge from Glenmorangie has also become the inspiration for musical virtuoso Aaron Diehl, as part of Glenmorangie’s creative partnership with renowned piano maker Steinway & Sons. Glenmorangie Pride 1974 embodies the distillery’s tradition of creativity and craftsmanship – values shared by the acclaimed piano maker. The whisky’s beauty is so rare that it has inspired a musical composition reflecting its 41 years of maturation, its extraordinary depth, creative spirit, and the whisky’s artistry.

Diehl found inspiration at the distillery where Glenmorangie’s exceptional whisky has been crafted since 1843. His piece, titled Echoes of the Glen of Tranquillity, echoes the creative spirit of Glenmorangie Pride 1974, drawing on its depth of character and its long maturation, nurtured by the Men of Tain. Aaron Diehl’s composition was unveiled in New York on March 23, 2017.

“Glenmorangie Pride 1974 is the oldest and deepest Glenmorangie ever to be released,” says Dr. Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks. “Its age lends the whisky an enriched intensity, born only of a slow, patient maturation. With its harmonic depths and exquisite melodies, Aaron Diehl’s inspired composition captures the whisky’s rare beauty.”

“In many ways, creating whisky is very similar to composing,” says Diehl. “The rare beauty of Glenmorangie Pride 1974 combines years of uncompromising craft and painstaking attention to detail, with a creativity and passion any musician would recognise. Its story inspired me to create a work echoing the whisky’s depth of character, its long maturation and its astonishing tastes.”