Harrison Ford has co-created a limited-edition single malt with Glenmorangie, on sale this week. The Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition was developed over a period of several months with Dr Bill Lumsden, the distillery’s Director of Whisky Creation, and marries classic bourbon-cask Glenmorangie with a parcel of whisky finished in toasted Portuguese red wine casks.
The launch was marked at an event in Edinburgh on Wednesday evening, and coincides with a final episode of Glenmorangie’s Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign, directed by Joel Edgerton and shot at Ford’s home in Wyoming last November, which Ross from The Luxury Editor was kindly asked along to the event.
Ford first visited Tain last year to shoot the campaign, in which he plays a version of himself slowly, grudgingly won over by the Highlands. Between takes, Dr Bill Lumsden walks Harrison through the warehouses, pulling samples and watching what he gravitated toward. After Harrison flew home, the conversation continued in liquid form: Lumsden drawing samples in Tain, shipping them to Wyoming, waiting for notes, refining, drawing fresh ones. The blend went through several rounds before they landed on a final version.
What Harrison kept asking for, it turned out, was bite. Glenmorangie’s house style is famously elegant. Honeysuckle, citrus, that long, soft Highland finish. He liked all of that. He also wanted something to push back. Taking that on board, toasted red wine casks for grip and tannin were added in.
In the glass, it pours sunset orange. The nose unmistakably Glenmorangie. Orange peel, honeysuckle, something faintly waxy. The first sip does what Harrison asked it to. Seville orange and grapefruit arrive with real texture, then settle into baked bread, apricot, and muscovado. A curious mentholic note hangs around in the background. The finish is long and slightly leathery. Very good, in other words.
“I loved my time at Glenmorangie and have enormous respect for the team at the Distillery. They are true craftspeople. Collaborating with Dr Bill was a real treat – a chance to get inside the mind of a maker who combines art and science to create incredible single malt Scotch whisky. We tasted many casks together on our search for a Glenmorangie that would speak to my taste. Truth be told, I liked a lot of them – but the Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition is everything I want in a whisky. I’m immensely proud of our creation. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly do.”
The Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition is on sale now, bottled at 46.5% ABV and available from glenmorangie.com, the distillery visitor centre, and selected specialists.
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