Elemental Wonder: Glenmorangie’s 23-Year-Old Whisky and Azuma Makoto's Collaboration
Aged 23 years, elemental whisky celebrates special collaboration with Azuma Makoto
Glenmorangie Highland single malt Scotch whisky today presents a rich, elemental and extraordinarily rare limited edition, embodying the wonder of the natural world. Glenmorangie Dr Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto 23 Years Old arises from a partnership between Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden and the Japanese botanical artist Azuma Makoto. Dr Bill’s delicious single malt reflects their shared love of nature and all that it encompasses, a concept known in Japanese as shinra bansho. Inspired by that whisky’s complex notes of flowers, rain-soaked moss and earthy hints, Azuma Makoto has created a botanical masterpiece, depicted on the edition’s packaging.
During a trip to Glenmorangie’s Highland Distillery, Dr Bill and Azuma – a close friend of the brand – were inspired by the beauty of their surroundings. The acclaimed botanical artist shared with Dr Bill the notion of shinra bansho, which embraces the ground, the sky and everything in between. And together they imagined how they might collaborate to create a uniquely delicious single malt which celebrates nature in all its forms.
Dr Bill began to envision a whisky entwining Glenmorangie’s floral side with the underground world which brings all plants to life. With such a single malt in mind, he first took a classic Glenmorangie, long aged in bourbon casks, heady with aromas of lemon balsam and orchids. He united that single malt with Glenmorangie’s first whisky ever finished in casks which once held Chardonnay white wine from the Meursault appellation in Burgundy. With its notes of moss dampened by rainfall, burning oak and earthy scents of the forest floor, he created a truly elemental whisky: rich, mellow and intriguingly deep.
In his Tokyo studio, Azuma Makoto drew on the whisky’s flavours to create his own masterpiece. Gathering orchids, roses and countless wild flowers from Scotland and around the world, he skilfully wove them through tree bark, roots and moss. His complex, flowing botanical sculpture (entitled Shinra Bansho to reflect the notion at its heart) is Azuma’s own tribute to nature’s evolving harmonies. Beautifully reflecting the layered depths of Dr Bill’s creation, it is showcased on the whisky’s packaging.
Dr Bill said:
“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.”
Azuma Makoto said:
“I was honoured to partner with Dr Bill for this special celebration of shinra bansho. My sculpture is a response to my view of Earth’s blessings – my sense of gratitude for nature – and for the flavour of the Highlands, expressed deliciously in Dr Bill’s whisky.”
The whisky will be available in select retailers in the UK, China, Japan, Taiwan, India and the USA, on glenmorangie.com, as well as Glenmorangie’s inaugural boutique at London’s Heathrow airport, Terminal 2, RRP €1,250/£1,050. It has already charmed whisky critics, having received a Double Gold award at the International Spirits Challenge 2024.
