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This post is sponsored by Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky.
Dr. William "Bill" Lumsden has a mouthful of a job title: director of distilling and whisky creation at Glenmorangie Distillery in Scotland.
"I laugh when I tell that to people," he says. "My business card should be sized A4."
An enthusiastic supporter of single-malt whisky, Lumsden fell in love with Scotch after his first sip of 10-year-old Glenmorangie Original back in 1984.
"I had a sip of Glenmorangie Single Malt Whisky, and it changed everything. I suppose it was my destiny," he says. "Now, I'm responsible for Glenmorangie. I owe that glass a debt of gratitude."
But what if Lumsden hadn't had that decisive dram? "Perhaps I'd be a fashion designer or involved in fabric. I love the cut and fabric of suits, their interplay," he says.
His penchant for fine clothing has come in handy on the spirits-awards circuit (yes, that exists). He's the only person to have been honored three times with the Malt Advocate Industry Leader of the Year Award.
What's more, he has a tabby named Morangie the Cat.
Making Scotch is an exacting process, but creating Glenmorangie Single Malt Whisky, which is known for its high standards of craftsmanship, well, what does that take? BI Studios spoke to Lumsden recently while he was in New York City.
You broke into the whisky industry as a scientist. Did you really write your Ph.D. thesis on yeast physiology?
Yes. That might be a little unusual. Most people work their way through the various parts of the organization, but I came into this field as a scientist. After working for a few years in the laboratory, I wanted to actually make whisky, rather than research it.
What is your typical day like?
No two days are the same. It involves looking after the production at Glenmorangie distillery, the selection of barrels for the whisky, and the development of new products. I do a lot of other things, too, such as educating people on single-malt whisky. I'm also making sure we procure the best malted barley, or traveling around the world to examine the wood to be used in the Glenmorangie whisky barrels.
What's so distinctive about how Glenmorangie's single malt is made?
We employ a very high-quality, low-production process. At every stage, we are fanatical about making sure the whisky is as good as it can possibly be. It starts with a rigid specification for malted barley. And we very jealously guard our water supply. We're the only distillery in Scotland to have hard mineral water. There's the distillation process and the selection of the barrel.
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You're well known for your strict criteria for selecting barrels.
You can actually make perfectly good whisky using standard ex-bourbon barrels, but the barrels we use are our own unique specifications. It takes eight to 10 years from the tree first being cut down to the first filling of spirit at Glenmorangie. We are the only distillery to do that. And if you take a step back and think about it, it's frankly verging on the ridiculous.
We hand-select the wood — tight-grained oak, with a small growth pattern. That type of wood has a more porous structure. Normally, when the tree is cut down, it's sent to the sawmill and then dried. It usually takes eight weeks from the tree being felled to the first filling of American bourbon whiskey. That's a very short time. I prefer to have my wood cut at the sawmill and then have the wood season in the open air for a minimum of two years, often three.
Barrels are then filled with American whiskey for four years to take the final bit of woodiness out. Only then does it finally come to Glenmorangie for eight to nine years. Mind, if I didn't do that, I could make a perfectly acceptable Scotch whisky. But a perfectly acceptable whisky isn't good enough. It has to be way better than that.
There's the barley, the water, and the barrel. What about the distillation?
In 1877, the gentleman who rebuilt our distillery erected the tallest stills in Scotland, and it had a profound effect on the character of Glenmorangie whisky. It gave the whisky great delicacy and finesse. A tall still like ours acts like filter, and its pear shape makes the spirit seem almost perfumed. But the fact that the whisky is so delicate means that it will ruthlessly expose any off-flavor. We have to be very careful and precise when we're distilling.
How would you sum up your job?
I'd say that if anyone ever opens a bottle of Glenmorangie and finds it to be no good, then it's my fault. It's a heavy responsibility.
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