Glenmorangie Introduces Ealanta -- A 1993 Single Malt Scotch Whisky Limited Edition With An American Twist

15 Jan 2013 --- Glenmorangie is proud to announce the launch of Glenmorangie Ealanta, the latest addition to its award winning Private Edition range.

Scots Gaelic for "skilled and ingenious," Ealanta is a 19 Years Old Glenmorangie, matured exclusively in virgin American white oak casks from the Mark Twain National Forest in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.

Glenmorangie is world renowned for its research into the effect of wood on whisky maturation. Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Company's Distilling and Whisky Creation Director, is a much awarded pioneer in this field.

Dr. Lumsden commented, "It's no secret in our industry that it's the 'wood that makes the whisky' and for many years my team and I have been carrying out detailed research in this area." Ealanta is an experiment dating from the early 1990s. The casks selected from oaks of the Mark Twain National Forest were absolutely top quality and were unusual in that they had not previously held any liquor, such as bourbon.

"The interaction of our elegant spirit from our very tall stills directly with this 'virgin' wood makes for many intriguing flavors," said Dr. Lumsden. "Using virgin oak casks that have been heavily toasted adds huge mouth-filling, buttery, creamy, vanilla flavors – somewhat like a creme brulee topped with almond and marzipan. This makes for a lovely rounded and complex expression of Glenmorangie. New wood also imparts a purity of flavor that I think many Glenmorangie aficionados will find an interesting divergence from our previous Private Edition releases."

Glenmorangie Ealanta has a soft toffee and butterscotch aroma, followed by vanilla and a curious strong hint of stewed fruits with a hallmark Glenmorangie top note of menthol.

On the palate, candied orange peel, sugar coated almonds and sweet vanilla are to the fore, wrapped in an unusual nuttiness reminiscent of Brazil nuts in toffee. The finish is long with virgin oak derived spices such as clove, ginger and a hint of aniseed.

"The superior quality of our whisky comes from the great yet unseen lengths that we go to in crafting our precious spirit. Traversing continents in search of the finest wood for our casks is a true illustration of our commitment to quality," said Brian Cox, Vice President of Glenmorangie, U.S. "Dr. Lumsden and his team's uncompromising attention to detail has produced an exceptional body of tastes that will surely please even the most ardent whisky connoisseur."

Glenmorangie Ealanta is bottled at a strength of 46% and is non chill-filtered for extra texture and mouth feel. It will be available in limited quantities as only 1,500 9l cases have been made available for the US market.

Glenmorangie Ealanta is the 2013 addition to the ongoing Private Edition range, comprising so far the highly sought after Sonnalta PX, Finealta and Artein. The Private Edition range consists of rare and interesting limited edition whiskies carefully selected from the 'cabinet of curiosities' of Dr. Bill Lumsden which are fast becoming collectors' items.