Glenmorangie has unveiled its oldest-ever single malt whisky, a remarkably rare 50-year-old expression limited to just 149 individually numbered bottles.
The Highland distillery has marked the milestone with the launch of Glenmorangie 50 Years Old, a whisky that has spent five decades maturing across bourbon and sherry casks.
Created under the direction of acclaimed Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden MBE, the exceptionally aged whisky is being presented alongside an equally ambitious piece of craftsmanship. Each of the 149 bottles comes housed in a unique bespoke porcelain display vessel created by celebrated American ceramic artist Peter Pincus.
The result is a release that brings together half a century of whisky-making with more than three years of experimental ceramic craftsmanship.
A Whisky Half a Century in the Making!
The story of Glenmorangie 50 Years Old begins in the mid-1970s, with some of the final batches of barley malted at Glenmorangie’s own floor maltings before they were decommissioned in 1977.
That makes the whisky particularly significant for the distillery, offering a taste of a bygone era of Glenmorangie’s production.
The spirit was distilled in Glenmorangie’s famously tall copper stills before being placed into bourbon hogshead casks and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts to mature.
By the time Dr Bill Lumsden joined Glenmorangie as Distillery Manager in 1995, the whisky had already spent many years ageing in cask. During his early years at the distillery, he identified a small number of casks that he believed had the potential to continue maturing for decades.
In 1999, Dr Bill selected a small parcel from these casks once they had already reached considerable age. Mostly bourbon-cask whisky, alongside a smaller proportion matured in sherry butts, was married together in a single refill hogshead.
That particular cask was chosen to allow for a slower, extended maturation, introducing a gentle influence from the wood while retaining the elegant character associated with Glenmorangie’s spirit.
25 More Years of Maturation!
The whisky would spend another 25 years slowly developing in cask.
After five decades of total maturation, Glenmorangie says the whisky had developed exceptional depth and complexity while retaining the distillery’s characteristic elegance.
The resulting expression has a rich mahogany colour, with aromas of baked oranges, sultanas and nutmeg, alongside a herbal note.
On the palate, the whisky begins with a gently peppery character before developing flavours of toffee, stewed Assam tea leaves, birch tar, clove and oak tannin.
Dr Bill Lumsden described the release as one of his proudest creations, highlighting the unusual combination of classic bourbon-cask whisky and sweet, spicy sherry-matured liquid.
He also noted the significance of using whisky made from some of the last batches of barley malted at the distillery during the 1970s, which contributes rare smoky notes to the finished expression.
149 Bottles, 149 Pieces of Ceramic Art!
The whisky itself isn’t the only part of Glenmorangie 50 Years Old that has taken years to create.
To celebrate the release, Glenmorangie partnered with American ceramic artist Peter Pincus to develop a bespoke vessel for every bottle.
Following a visit to the distillery and a tasting of the 50-year-old whisky, Pincus, his partner Laurie and their studio team embarked on a project that would take more than three years.
Over approximately 1,000 days, the team hand-crafted all 149 ceramic vessels, experimenting with new ceramic techniques and individually casting and sanding each piece.
The design takes inspiration from the whisky’s tasting profile. The team created 50 bespoke colour pigments, with each vessel receiving its own individual pattern applied by hand.
Despite each vessel being unique, the pieces have also been designed to connect with one another.
Together, the 149 vessels form a tessellated wall of artwork titled ‘Together in Spirit’, reflecting the collaboration between Glenmorangie’s whisky makers and Pincus’ ceramic studio.
Pincus said the project involved pioneering ceramic techniques that had never previously been used by his team, with the colours designed to bring the whisky’s flavours and character to life.
A Collaboration Built on Craftsmanship!
The partnership between Glenmorangie and Pincus reflects the amount of time and craftsmanship invested into the release.
While the whisky spent 50 years developing in oak, the ceramic vessels required another three years of experimentation and production.
Each bottle therefore represents both a piece of Glenmorangie’s whisky-making history and an individual work of ceramic art.
Dr Bill Lumsden said the project had resulted in an “unrepeatable work of art”, while Pincus described the collaboration as a formative journey for his studio.
Glenmorangie’s 180-Year Pursuit of Flavour!
Glenmorangie has been producing single malt whisky for more than 180 years, with the distillery continuing to focus on its distinctive production methods and cask maturation.
The distillery’s exceptionally tall copper stills are central to its approach, while carefully selected casks are used to develop the spirit over time.
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old takes that philosophy to an extreme, with five decades of maturation resulting in one of the rarest and oldest expressions ever released by the Highland distillery.
When Can You Get Glenmorangie 50 Years Old?
Glenmorangie 50 Years Old will be available from September 2026, with just 149 numbered bottles being released.
The whisky will be available through the Moët Hennessy Private Client Team, the Glenmorangie Distillery Visitor Centre in Tain, and selected retailers.
Private enquiries can also be made through Glenmorangie’s official website.
For more information about Glenmorangie and its range of single malt whiskies, visit the official Glenmorangie website.
