Glenmorangie captures the sensory wonders of Tokyo in new limited edition whisky

Dr. Bill Lumsden’s fascination with the city inspires first Glenmorangie part matured in Mizunara oak casks, with the whisky’s creative inspiration brought to life by Japanese artist, Yamaguchi Akira

Combining bright, bold flavours with soft sweetness, Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo is a single malt whisky as full of delicious sensory contrasts as Tokyo itself. Japan’s capital has always been a place of great creative inspiration for Glenmorangie’s globe-trotting whisky creator, Dr Bill Lumsden, countering bustling streets with quiet gardens and ancient customs with ultra modernism.

Inspired by the memories, feelings and flavours of his many visits to Tokyo and a desire to experiment with rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks for the first time, Dr Bill has created a limited edition expression characterised by enchanting opposites. In the whisky’s flavour profile, pepper meets bitter cherries and coconut, as mouth-watering orange zest fuses with incense and sweet oak. On the finish, classic Glenmorangie flavours of mandarin, almond and marzipan can be detected.

Glenmorangie’s whisky creators have been endlessly experimental on their quest to create delicious whiskies for the last 180 years. Led by Director of Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, they take whatever captures their imagination and turn it into whisky. Some time ago, as he travelled through Japan to share the joy of Glenmorangie more widely, Dr Bill wondered how he could create a single malt that encapsulated Tokyo’s contrasting delights, and what the influence of complex Japanese Mizunara oak might be on the Highland distillery’s light, floral character. After a tireless quest, he was able to source a small number of Mizunara casks, which are known for bringing a very distinctive and unusual flavour to whisky. He balanced the resulting unique and bold flavours from the Japanese oak with Glenmorangie aged in both bourbon and sherry casks to create a deliciously balanced whisky that encapsulates the juxtapositions of Tokyo.

To bring the vibrant inspiration and flavours of A Tale of Tokyo to life, Glenmorangie collaborated with Japanese artist Yamaguchi Akira, who has created his own playful perspective of the city’s rich layers of history and culture in an artwork which adorns each bottle and its packaging. Uniting his trademark maximalist bird’s-eye view style with Glenmorangie’s technicolour palette, it juxtaposes famed landmarks and characteristics from both Tokyo and the Highland Distillery, as well as traditional Japanese pastimes with nods to the whisky’s flavours. From the Tokyo Tower and Ueno Park to Glenmorangie’s giraffe-high stills and lush Mizunara oak trees, there are many intricate, hidden discoverables in his work, including several Dr Bill figures peppered throughout.

Dr Bill Lumsden said: “I’m lucky to have travelled widely over the years sharing Glenmorangie around the world whilst also gathering new inspiration for whisky creations, and Tokyo has always been one of my favourite places. I’m fascinated by the contradictions between its bustling streets and tranquil gardens, ancient and modern buildings, its many sensory experiences and its culture. My time there over the years made me wonder whether I could capture my experience of Tokyo, and these beautiful intricacies, in whisky form.

“I partly matured a proportion of Glenmorangie spirit in rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks, which I’ve been curious to experiment with for some time. The influence of this wood is incredibly complex and unusual; it required balance and softening with Glenmorangie matured in bourbon and sherry casks, and the result is a dram as full of delicious sensory contrasts as a trip to Tokyo.”

Yamaguchi Akira said: “It’s been a joy to collaborate with Glenmorangie to bring Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo to life through my art. The idea of my residing home conjures up so many different thoughts and feelings, and my work reflects Tokyo’s contrasts in many ways. Incorporating hints about Glenmorangie and its whisky really appealed to my sense of playfulness.”

Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo has recently been awarded Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023. It will be available from Selfridges exclusively from 1st to 15th October, then available from 16th October onwards at whisky specialists, Glenmorangie.com and Clos19.com, RRP: £76.

To explore Yamaguchi Akira’s full artwork as well as a range of cocktail serves inspired by A Tale of Tokyo, visit glenmorangie.com.

Tasting Notes

Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo is bottled at 46% ABV

Colour: Bronze, like the rising sun

Aroma: Powerfully herbal, with hints of toffee contrasted by incense and saddle-soap, followed by a resinous note and a touch of cedar wood.

Taste: A peppery mouthfeel leads into notes of tangy oranges and bitter cherries alongside fennel and chewy oak.

Finish: Long and gently nutty, with hints of almond, mandarin, ground white pepper and more wood resin.

Awards

Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo was awarded the accolade of Double Gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Double Gold is awarded to entries that receive a Gold medal rating by all members of the judging panel; these are among the finest products in the world.

About Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie’s whisky makers use endless imagination and five key ingredients – wood, water, barley, yeast and time – to dream up delicious single malt whiskies. They’ve been honing their craft for more than 175 years. They create a delicate and fruity spirit in stills as tall as a giraffe to allow for more taste and aroma. Led by Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, this crackerjack crew are on a mission to bring new flavours and possibilities to the world of single malt.

Glenmorangie celebrates the joy of delicious single malt in every part of its universe, from its boutique hotel Glenmorangie House to its colourful brand campaign, shot by famed photographer Miles Aldridge. With its tagline “It’s kind of delicious and wonderful”, Glenmorangie invites whisky lovers old and new to see themselves in Glenmorangie’s world.

About Dr Bill Lumsden

Dr Bill Lumsden’s favourite phrase is “What if?”. And throughout more than 25 years with Glenmorangie, the Distillery’s Creative Director has challenged himself and his team to take whatever captures their imaginations and turn it into whisky – be that the magic of a walk in the woods (Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest), the joy of a cake moment (Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake), a cup of coffee (Glenmorangie Signet) and more. With a PhD in biochemistry and decades of experience, Dr Bill has all the skills needed to bring these ideas to life. Already, he has earned the admiration of his peers many times over. For instance, he has taken his place in the Icons of Whisky Hall of Fame, has won the International Whisky Competition’s award for Master Distiller of the Year more times than anyone else, and has been named Master Blender/Distiller of the Year by the International Spirits Challenge twice.

About the creation of Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo

Dr Bill Lumsden has travelled the world in search of new casks and flavours. And, with its many contrasts, Tokyo has been one of his favourite places, since he first visited the city in 1999. Inspired to bring the city’s contrasts to life in a whisky, he began to search for some rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks – a task that would take him many years, since such casks are so scarce and sought after. Mizunara oak trees grow particularly slowly. It takes 200 years for them to be suitable to be cut and their wood crafted into casks (whereas American oak takes around 100 years). When used for casks, they bring a very distinctive flavour to whisky. Dr Bill aged Glenmorangie in such casks, then mellowed its powerful flavours with Glenmorangie aged in bourbon and sherry casks, to create a whisky of delicious contradictions, which reflects the many sides of the city he loves so much.

About Yamaguchi Akira

Born in Tokyo in 1969, Yamaguchi grew up in Japan’s Gunma prefecture and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1996 with an MA in oil painting. Known for painting bird’s-eye views of cities and battlefields, he uses oil painting techniques in a traditional Japanese style, alongside a variety of media including sculpture, the Japanese art form of manga and installation art. Yamaguchi’s wide-ranging work has been acclaimed across Japan over the years. He became the first artistic ambassador in his hometown of Kiryu, while his book Hen-na Nihon Bijutsushi, his own analysis of Japanese art, won the 12th Kobayashi Hideo Award in 2013. He has created public artworks for locations including Narita International Airport, and the Tokyo Metro’s Nihonbashi Station. And he has created illustrative work and cover art for a variety of serialized newspaper stories and novels, as well as work which has appeared on the credits for a TV show. He also produced the official art poster for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Yamaguchi has showcased his work internationally, with major solo exhibitions include TOKIORE(I)MIX, at Maison Hermès, Le Forum, Tokyo, Yamaguchi Akira: Stepping Back to Seek the Underneath, at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Art Tower Mito, and Resonating Surfaces, at the Daiwa Foundation Japan House, in London, among others.

About the artwork

Created in Yamaguchi Akira’s maximalist style, and threaded with Glenmorangie’s hallmark orange hue, this vivid artwork brims with delightful detail. Set in Tokyo, it features many layers of Tokyo capturing different periods of time, as well as people of widely varying scales, to give the viewer the sense of looking on from close by and from far away, at the same time. In the illustration can be found:

• Details of Tokyo’s landmarks and culture, which give a sense of Tokyo’s evolving heritage. They include: the Tokyo Tower, Ginza - one of the city’s most renowned shopping districts, Ueno Park, the renowned Nihonbashi Bridge as well as a peaceful garden, the Tokyo Metro, and a ramen shop and soba restaurant. Ancient buildings are juxtaposed with modern architecture and modes of transport, while people are dressed in contemporary and traditional clothing;

• Nods to Glenmorangie’s craft and heritage including: One of the Distillery’s signature giraffe-high stills standing tall in a fountain, its Signet icon as a subway vent, an illusion of a giraffe created by construction workers’ legs, and a woman’s animal print skirt. The Distillery’s founding date of 1843 features on the clock tower, which stands at the time of 18:43. Meanwhile, the Distillery’s acclaimed Director of Whisky Creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, is illustrated several times in the full artwork – being thrown an orange, crossing the road, contemplating an oak tree, standing on a boat that’s transporting casks on the city’s oldest canal, and overseeing casks being made;

• Hints to the whisky’s flavours including: A young Mizunara oak tree – in reference to the Japanese Mizunara oak casks used in the whisky’s recipe – a toffee stall, someone picking almonds from a rooftop tree, a violin player putting resin on the instrument’s bow, a beekeeper collecting honey from rooftop hives, and an orange seller, who throws Dr Bill a piece of fruit from their stall.

Provided by Glenorangie