The Glenmorangie’s Flagship Single Malt Gets An Upgrade

By Richard Thomas

Going back as far as we at The Whiskey Reviewer can personally remember, the flagship single malt of The Glenmorangie has been their Original 10 Year Old. More than twenty years ago, I brought back a bottle from Europe to share with our Deputy Editor, Kurt Maitland, since my circuitous, on-the-cheap route involved flying from New York and spending the night at his apartment. Some things in the whiskey business, like long standing flagship expressions, seem like they should be permanent, but Glenmorangie has provided a reminder that they are not.

In a move that will give the croakers something to find something else to complain about, The Glenmorangie is replacing its flagship with a new 12 Year Old expression. The 10 Year Old version has been around since the 1960s, but that hasn’t stopped Dr. Bill Lumsden’s blending team at the distillery from deciding that an extra two years would improve on the bottling (and, presumably, that The Glenmorangie has the stocks to support it).

The new version was launched in the UK in August, and has only now reached American shores. The recommended retail price is $50.