Linking Aromas to Creation
Reprinted from "The Glenmorangie Tasting Room" Web site
We asked the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, (SWRI), to attempt to link the origin of certain aromas to the steps in Glenmorangie's creation, and thus to the materials or methods used. To accomplish this task, they analyzed samples taken from successive stages of our production process. This involved tests on 'wort', ' fermented wash' and 'new make spirit' - along with samples of the more familiar 10 Year Old and 18 Year Old Glenmorangie. More of the strange-sounding liquids later, but for the meantime what did the eagerly awaited results hold? As we had hoped, SWRI were able to correlate the first appearance of most of the aromas to a particular stage in the manufacturing process. In particular, our unique conditions of fermentation, distillation and maturation appear to contribute successive aromas to Glenmorangie's increasingly complex bouquet. In the table below, we have listed the 20 aromas identified by SWRI, alongside the step of the process where each aroma was first detected. (They may become more pronounced at later stages).
Malting almond, hazelnut Fermentation apple, banana, hay, rose Distillation honey, juniper, lemon, geranium Maturation cinnamon, clove, coconut, vanilla Sherry Wood blackcurrant, brown sugar, orange, plum, raisin
