The distillery was founded in 1843 by William and Anne Matheson, who converted a former brewery into a whisky distillery in this remote part of Scotland. The name Glenmorangie comes from Gaelic and means valley of tranquillity. Throughout the 20th century, the distillery proved pioneering in many respects, skilfully balancing tradition and innovation. It began selling single malts as early as the 1920s, exporting its bottlings worldwide, expanded production even during the downturn of the 1980s, and launched dedicated research programmes into oak maturation – notably for its Wood Finishes range. In 2004, after more than 80 years at the helm, the Macdonald family sold a majority stake in Glenmorangie PLC (52%) to the global luxury group LVMH.
Today, the celebrated ‘Men of Tain’ continue to craft the house style, distilling in Scotland’s tallest stills (5.14 metres high) before maturing the spirit in oak barrels.
In 2022, Edward Thom was named Global Distillery Manager of the Year at the prestigious Whisky Magazine Icons of Whisky Awards.

A Highland single malt aged for at least 12 years (back label) in ex-bourbon casks, then finished for several months in ex-Madeira casks. This version, introduced in the 1990s by the world-renowned Dr Bill Lumsden (Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie), is one of the distillery’’s first trial runs that would soon lead to the creation of the Wood Finish range, featuring Madeira, Port, Sherry and Burgundy finishes with no age statement. Bottle equipped with a cork stopper and black foil seal marked Glenmorangie.