Glenmorangie Astar

Astar means Journey in Gaelic. Don't stop believing.

The Glenmorangie Distillery was founded in 1843 when the Matheson brothers converted the Morangie farm into a distillery. It lies just north of Tain, on the wind-swept coastline of Easter Ross. Their stills are the tallest found in the Highlands - as tall as a giraffe, apparently - of the same design as those used in the 1880's which were actually second-hand gin stills. Which means that only the very lightest vapors make it to the top, giving a smooth and elegant Whisky.
 
In 2004 the distillery was sold to LVMH, a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate and has since adopted a brave strategy of giving their drams French-sounding names, which apparently has payed out. Glenmorangie was Scotland's best selling single malt almost continuously since 1983 (it has recently lost the position to Glenfiddich). 
 
The Glenmorangie Astar has a long journey to make before it is ready for s(h)ipping. First, special casks are assembled using hand-select oak from the Ozark Mountains, Missouri. This wood has grown slowly enough to create a spongier and more porous wood which is perfect for welcoming the spirit and imparting the maximum amount of flavor. After that casks are air-dried (instead of kiln-dried) for at least two years. Then they are filled with Tennessee Whiskey and left to mature for four more years. Finally, the casks are transported to the Glenmorangie distillery for slow maturation of their Whisky.