Glenmorangie Releases Pursuit of Passion, A Collection of Three Ultra-Aged Cask Finished Whiskies

As Glenmorangie’s head of distilling and whisky creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden is one of scotch whisky’s leading specialists in cask finishing. His expertise and his love of wine are behind the latest release, Glenmorangie Pursuit of Passion, a collection of three ultra-aged, wine cask-finished expressions.

The collection’s oldest expression, at 29 years old, the Margaux Wine Cask Finish, was distilled in February 1995, the month that Lumsden became Glenmorangie’s distillery manager. It was matured in bourbon casks until 2004, and then refilled into Margaux casks for more than 20 years, the longest Glenmorangie wine cask finish ever released. It’s not Lumsden’s first Margaux expression, however, as he released a 90-point Glenmorangie 1987 Margaux Wine Cask Finish packaged in an acrylic case back in 2006 (SRP $450), which became highly collectible. Whisky Auctioneer set a record for this expression in 2021 when it sold a bottle from Pat’s Whisky Collection for a hammer price of $2,347.

The second-oldest expression in Pursuit of Passion is a 28 year old Corton-Charlemagne finish, the only white wine finish in the set. It was distilled in 1995 and aged in bourbon barrels until 2005, when it was refilled into grand cru white burgundy casks. Finally, the Barbaresco finish is a 27 year old single malt distilled in 1996 and matured in bourbon casks until 2005, when it was transferred into the Italian red wine casks from Piedmont.

Glenmorangie released its first finished whisky in 1987 prior to Lumsden’s appointment. Glenmorangie is recognized as a pioneer of finishing, though William Grant & Sons’ David Stewart is the first master blender to release a finished whisky through his work on Balvenie. The length of finishing deployed here by Glenmorangie is very unusual, as it eclipses the whisky’s primary maturation in bourbon barrels by many years. Master blender Maureen Robinson explored the flavor effects of lengthy secondary maturation during her career at Diageo. Notable examples include her 92-point The Singleton 40 year old which underwent a secondary maturation for 28 years in bourbon, rum, and PX/oloroso seasoned sherry casks before being finished in Zacapa XO and Royal Rum casks, and her 94-point Linkwood 1981 39 year old from the 2021 Prima & Ultima collection, which spent 27 years in four virgin American oak casks seasoned with an oloroso/PX blend after an initial 12 year maturation in refill casks.

Housed in a handmade oak marquetry case, the Pursuit of Passion marks the first time Glenmorangie has released wine cask finishes in Corton-Charlemagne and Barbaresco casks. It’s being sold predominantly through Moët Hennessy’s private client network, a team of experts who guide you on the best in drinks as well as other luxury items and experiences, though it will also be available in the Glenmorangie Boutique at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 2 as well as at the distillery. In the last year, Moët Hennessy has also sold Ardbeg The Abyss and Ardbeg The Rollercoaster through their private client network.

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Pursuit of Passion Wine Cask Collection

27 year old Barbaresco Wine Cask Finish

ABV: 51.3%

28 year old Corton-Charlemagne Wine Cask Finish

ABV: 52.1%

29 year old Margaux Wine Cask Finish

ABV: 52.5%

SRP: $9,900 per set

Availability: Global release of 600 sets in Fall 2024 will be available through the Moët Hennessy private client, Glenmorangie’s Terminal 2 Boutique in London’s Heathrow Airport, select retail outlets, and the distillery visitor center beginning October 2024. Registrations of interest can also be submitted online