More BIG changes at Glenmorangie - Breaking News

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Today Glenmorangie announced some changes which equal the scale and scope of their recent repackaging/reformulation.

A two-year plan which includes:

1. They are moving headquarters to Edinburgh. The existing Broxburn HQ will (apparently) be sold to Diageo. Does the bottling facility go with HQ sale? No word yet.
2. Glenmorangie (Tain) & Ardbeg (Islay) distilleries will be the recipients of a combined £45 million investment.
3. They are selling the Elgin-based Glen Moray distillery. Glen Moray is used primarily for Blended Scotch whisky.

This heralds the 2nd step in LVMH's move away from commodity blended whisky and firmly entrenches them as a premium Single-malt only concern.

Comments

[James]

It was during 1996 if I remember correctly that Glenmorangie left their historic Leith (ie Edinburgh) HQ to move to the ex-Bells Whisky facility in Broxburn which was sold to them by United Distillers (soon to become Diageo). The old office and warehouses where turned into flats. So this sounds like a bit of a full circle for Diageo

[James Campbell Andrew]

I wonder what implication this will have for Serendipity?

[TF @ TWE]

James Andrew Campbell makes a good point -

Q: If LVMH sell off Glen Moray what will happen the next time they find some old Ardbeg casks that have gone below strength or taste a bit funny?

A: They'll just have to 'accidentally' dump some young Glenmorangie into it instead.

[TF @ TWE]

Apologies James Campbell Andrew for getting your names the wrong way round - my bad.

[Hwh]

Well, since Duncan Taylor is looking for a distillery and Glen Moray is the 6th best-selling single malt in the U.K., this might be the perfect fit.Glenmorangie plc always treated Glen Moray like an unwanted step-child any way.You can be sure that the asking price will be exorbitant though.

[James Campbell Andrew]

Re my name: no worries mate, happens all the time :-)

[Ian Buxton]

They should have done this years ago!

What happens to Drambuie? If you think that's an odd question - well, Drambuie is bottled at Broxburn but not all bottlers want a liqueur anywhere near their bottling lines for fear of contamination. So, assuming Diageo kick them out, where do they go?
And, does anyone actually care?

[Kevin Erskine]

Did anything ever come of that terrible Drambuie campaign?
http://www.thescotchblog.com/2006/10/drambuies_tv_sp.html

Ian, who do you think will get the Glen Moray distillery? W&M???

And do you think Americans will ever pronounce it correctly?

[saberlin]

Hi Ho, Will the new Glennmorangie be as good as the familar old ones...do we need to stock up? Should I invest ( for my own enjoyment ) in a 1977, 21, 25 or 30 before it too goes away. If so which ones are best in the old vintage? Which are a better buy? Help? Saberlin

[Kevin Erskine]

Hi Saberlin.
The new Glenmorangies were actually rolled out some time ago and the older labels should be disappearing from shelves...
Honestly - I have not tried them yet - but Dr. Bill Lunsden told me he was very proud of the new formulas.

that being said; if you like the old standard bottles you should stock up - as once they are gone - they're gone.

As far as any limited edition bottlings; they are - by definition limited.

[TF @ TWE]

Just a thought - what happens now to Bailie Nicol Jarvie? Do they discontinue it or sell it on with a promise to continue supplying stock for blending? The latter seems unlikely given their stated desire to focus exclusively on single malt. I'd be sorry to see it go, but even if it does survive, it's likely to be very different to what's in the bottle now.

[Ian Buxton]

Who'll get Glen Moray?
Lots of people looking to buy right now (apparently). Indians, Russians, Chinese, Italians....
Would you dare to buy at the top of the market?

[sandy]

As far as I'm aware BNJ will still be bottled as will James Martin's 20 and 30 year old as they are their deluxe/luxury blend
The new Glenmorangie IMHO is sooo much better than the old stuff - more complexity, richness and IMHO flavour. The new Astar recently tasted at Whisky Fringe only enhanced this and is wonderful stuff and I think this new investment can only be a good thing. As Glen Moray is the 6th biggest selling UK malt I don't think that we'll see too much change for them. They have been part of the MacDonald & Muir/Glenmorangie Plc since 1920 so it'll be a big shock for them but I'm sure that the whisky will remain as great as ever.
My understanding was that they were seeking to build a brand new bottling plant somewhere in Edinburgh and therefore I would have thought that Drambuie would still be bottled at this new site.
I'm sure that there'll be more info in the next few months as things become more settled though.