Glenmorangie unveils second Private Collection release

The Glenmorangie Company unveiled Finealta, the second whisky in its Private Collection, at the Savoy in London last week.

Finealta, Gaelic for "elegant", is a recreation of a 1900s Glenmorangie recipe – the time when it was served in the American Bar of the famous hotel. The century-old recipe was recently uncovered in the distillery’s archives.

Tasting notes describe distinctive vanilla and citrus notes and hints of mandarin, lime and breakfast marmalade on toast. However, the final touch is a hint of peat which originates from when the distillery dried its malted barley in a peat-fired kiln.
 
Bill Lumsden, head of distilling and whisky creation, said: “We decided to recreate this recipe so that whisky connoisseurs could have a taste of this historic Glenmorangie expression which dates back to sometime in the early 1900s.
 
“We followed the recipe as closely as we could, which included marrying whiskies of different ages and from different cask types. The final result is a whisky of such depth and distinction that we selected it as the second release in Glenmorangie’s exclusive Private Edition range.”
 
Daniel Baernreuther, manager of the American Bar at The Savoy, added: “We are very excited with the creation of Glenmorangie Finealta, which was first enjoyed by The Savoy’s guests at the turn of the 20th century.

"The introduction coincides with The Savoy’s recent re-opening and will allow our new guests to experience this special Glenmorangie expression."

A special Finealta cocktail called "Smoke and Mirrors" was created for the launch event, which features the Glenmorangie Finealta whisky being "smoked" in a decanter in front of the customer.
 
Glenmorangie Finealta is available in 70cl bottles at £65.99 from selected specialist retailers.

Click here for a video interview with Bill Lumsden at the launch event.

Alan Lodge, 16.02.2011