New Glenmorangie whisky nods to nature, with botanical artist Azuma Makoto

Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, is an icon of the whisky world. He has won the prestigious Master Distiller of the Year award more times than anyone else and is known for his pioneering approach. He pushes at the boundaries of taste and experimentation and focuses on recreating sensory experiences through the huge range of complex and nuanced flavours that are attainable at the highest level of whisky making.

For this exciting new expression, Dr Lumsden collaborated with acclaimed Japanese botanical artist Azuma Makoto (who has worked for Dior Parfums and created installations for SFER IK in Mexico) to conjure up a spirit that would reflect their shared love of the natural world: a deep appreciation of the earth, the sky, and everything in between, a concept known in Japanese as ‘shinra bansho’. Together they imagined how they would create a uniquely delicious single malt that celebrates nature in all its forms.

The pair set forth on a trip to Glenmorangie’s Distillery to be inspired by its rich heritage and the unique beauty of its Highland surroundings. Dr Lumsden envisioned a whisky that would entwine Glenmorangie’s floral side with notes of earth and moss.

He took a classic Glenmorangie single malt long-aged in bourbon casks and united it with the brand’s first whisky ever finished in casks that once held Chardonnay white wine from the Meursault appellation in Burgundy. The resulting limited edition is the first of its kind, a truly elemental spirit: rich, deep, and mellow, with notes of moss dampened by rainfall, burning oak and earthy scents of the forest floor.

Sipping a dram back at his Tokyo studio, Makoto drew on the whisky’s exquisite flavours to create his own work of art. He gathered orchids, roses and wild flowers from Scotland and around the world, and wove them through tree bark, roots and moss. His complex, flowing botanical sculpture (entitled Shinra Bansho, after the notion at its heart) is Azuma’s tribute to nature, reflecting the layered depths of the whisky, and is showcased in the limited edition’s packaging.

Says Dr Lumsden: ‘Our collaboration with Azuma Makoto is a delicious celebration of nature’s wonder. Including our first whisky finished in Chardonnay casks from Burgundy, this 23-year-old single malt encapsulates nature in all its forms, through notes of lemon balsam, poached pears and cocoa powder layered on the oaky, earthy tones of the forest floor. Azuma-san’s stunning sculpture, featured on the whisky’s packaging, evokes the fragrant scents and elemental depths of this extraordinarily rare whisky – a gift from nature itself.’

€1,250/£1,050, glenmorangie.com