Secrets of a Highland heirloom inspire Glenmorangie Cadboll
Whisky finished in ex-sweet French wine casks brings dessert-like flavours to Travel Retail
A centuries-old Highland heirloom is the inspiration for the dessert-like flavours of Glenmorangie Cadboll, the latest release in Glenmorangie’s Travel Retail Legends Collection. Finished in barriques which previously held sweet French wines such as those of Muscat and Sémillon grapes, this rich and sweet single malt whisky is a fitting celebration of the Scottish artistry and French influences which shape its namesake, the Cadboll Cup.
Exclusive to Travel Retail, the Glenmorangie Legends Collection is a unique series of single malt whiskies which showcases Glenmorangie’s pioneering wood expertise through innovative cask assemblages and intriguing extra-maturations. Each expression in the collection (Glenmorangie Duthac, Glenmorangie Tayne, Glenmorangie Cadboll and limited-edition Glenmorangie Tarlogan) is inspired by the legendary lands which have homed Glenmorangie’s Highland Distillery since 1843.
Glenmorangie Cadboll, the collection’s third permanent release, pays homage to a precious 16th century silver wine cup long treasured by the MacLeods of Cadboll, whose connections with Glenmorangie’s homeland run deep. In 1699 they created Glenmorangie’s Highland home, Glenmorangie House (then Cadboll House) a few miles from where the Distillery now stands.
Inspired by the heritage Glenmorangie shares with the cup, Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s acclaimed Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks, set out to create a whisky which would evoke its craftsmanship – and hint at the sweet wines of the 16th and 17th centuries it might once have held. Reflecting the Highland provenance of the cup, which is in the collections of National Museums Scotland, he selected a parcel of spirit which had spent its life in ex-bourbon casks in the Distillery’s warehouses, not far from Glenmorangie House. Then in tribute to its French elements, he chose superior casks which formerly contained his most favoured sweet French white wines, including those of Muscat and Sémillon grapes, in which the expression would be extra-matured.
Dr Bill said: “The Cadboll Cup’s secret past is fascinating. Even now, no one knows who crafted the cup – or how its marriage of Highland and continental design came to be. Glenmorangie Cadboll is our sumptuous celebration of its contrasting character. The whisky’s aromas of baked bread and toasted brioche remind me of France. It is delightfully smooth and sweet on the palate, with tastes of mint humbugs, milky toffee and a long finish, full of old-fashioned confectionery. I hope the travelling connoisseur will enjoy this sweet tribute to our homeland’s heritage.”