Grand Vintage Malt 1991

Marrying two profoundly different wood-finished whiskies, Glenmorangie Vintage Malt 1991 is the fourth limited-edition release in our celebrated Bond House No.1 collection, created to showcase some of the distillery’s most scarce vintages. The collection was named after the largest of Glenmorangie’s 19th-century bonded warehouses which was home to our casks of maturing spirit until it was transformed into our towering still house in 1990.

Glenmorangie is famously one of the pioneers in wood-finishing, an art that was in its infancy when the spirit for Glenmorangie Vintage Malt 1991 was being distilled. At the time, our whisky creators were immersed in a period of intense experimentation, exploring a variety of new techniques and finishes.

While revisiting some of 1991’s rare parcels of wood-finished whisky many years later, Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks, was inspired to defy convention and bring together two contrasting whisky styles. While both had been long-aged in ex-bourbon casks, one of the parcels he selected had been finished in Oloroso sherry butts for sweetness and spice; the other in Burgundy barrels for earthy, truffle notes. He then expertly softened them with a hint of whisky that had aged in new toasted oak. Married together after 26 years’ maturation, they form an expression of exceptional intensity.

Glenmorangie Vintage Malt 1991 is a mellow dram with a rich, plum character. Its aromas of apricots, plums and baked apples lead to flavours of black pepper, ripe fruit and smooth milk chocolate on the palate, followed by a long, undulating finish.

Dr Bill says, “Bringing together two such incongruous whiskies goes somewhat against convention which, in part, is what drew me to the challenge of combining them. Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1991 honours the distillery’s pioneering exploration of wood-finishing in the early 1990s.”