GLENMORANGIE AND THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP – THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP
Glenmorangie single malt whisky has teamed up with golf’s most famous competition in a three year partnership which sees them become the Official Whisky of The Open Championship.
Glenmorangie single malt whisky has teamed up with golf’s most famous competition in a three year partnership which sees them become the Official Whisky of The Open Championship.
The vogue for barrel-aged cocktails gains momentum with the launch of Glenmorangie ‘Affinity’ at Edinburgh’s leading bar, Bramble. Glenmorangie, pioneers of the concept of extra maturation, is perfectly-suited to play a lead role in this on-trade phenomenon.
The success of Bramble, Class Magazine’s Classic Bar of the Year 2010, is largely down to the innovative approach of co-owners Mike Aikman and Jason Scott, who have created a barrel-aged, single malt whisky cocktail using Glenmorangie 10 Years Old.
Glenmorangie Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, produced four bespoke 5-litre casks for Bramble, each with a different level of toasting to allow for experimentation. The cocktail has been in barrels for a minimum of six weeks. Bottling will be done by hand at Bramble, with labels indicating the date the cocktail was poured into the cask and date of bottling. When a Glenmorangie Affinity is ordered at Bramble, the well-chilled wax-sealed bottle is presented with a frozen glass, garnished with a twist of lemon zest and a fresh cherry, in which to pour the cocktail.
Dr Lumsden observes; “As with malt whisky, the key is to gauge the perfect length of time in wood, and the Bramble team have done just that with their cocktail, giving the perfect balance of flavours between the other ingredients and the wood.”
Tasting notes: Batch #1 Glenmorangie ‘Affinity’ Cocktail
Last weekend I read an article in the Scotsman relating to the Asian plant intruder Rhododendron and it got me thinking about oak.
When I worked as a Cocktail Bar Manager to pay my way through college, training as a Arborist, there was a mention of "sudden oak death" effecting trees in America. A poorly chosen name, which plays on PR and the general love of oak. The organism that is to blame mainly effects other types of host tree/shrubs such as Rhododendron.
Most whisky drinkers know that whiskies/whiskey's & bourbons are aged in oak, but don't general know to what extent. The legal requirement under The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 is that UK distilleries, those in Scotland, England and Wales have to age their spirit for a minimum of three years in oak before it can be classed as whisky.
On 1st July 2011 Glenmorangie will reveal Pride 1981, the distillery’s most sublime single malt whisky to date. Characterised by the longest extra-maturation period of any Glenmorangie expression, the eagerly-anticipated 28-year-old single malt will be available in a limited edition of only 1,000 pieces, presented in a striking crystal decanter and wooden case.