Double accolade at Icons of Whisky Scotland awards and Scottish Whisky Awards for Tain-based distillery Glenmorangie

AN Easter-Ross whisky distillery is celebrating double win at prestigious industry awards, with high praise for its expert Distillery Manager and their sustainability efforts.

At the Icons of Whisky Scotland awards, Ed Thom from Glenmorangie Distillery was named Distillery Manager of the Year.

Meanwhile, the Highland single malt Scotch whisky’s Distillery was awarded Excellence in Sustainability at the Scottish Whisky Awards.

The Glenmorangie Company’s CEO and President, Thomas Moradpour, said: “At Glenmorangie we are always striving to create delicious single malt for more people. Ed has been a mainstay of the Distillery through the challenges of the pandemic and fully deserves this recognition. Furthermore, we look not just to protect our environment, but to enhance it, leaving it in better shape for the next generation. We are delighted that, from restoring oysters to eliminating fossil fuels, our efforts have been rewarded.”

At the heart of the Distillery’s whisky making, Mr Thom oversees Glenmorangie’s crackerjack crew. Since joining Glenmorangie in 2019, he has led the distillery through the pandemic, overseen its expansion (the Lighthouse innovation Distillery opened in September), as well as assisting with the creation of new releases. His hard work and skill were rewarded by judges of the Icons of Whisky Scotland awards.

At the Scottish Whisky Awards, Glenmorangie’s efforts to sustain and improve the Highland surroundings in which its distillery is rooted, won a Judges’ Award of Merit for Excellence in Sustainability.

The accolade acknowledged the distillery's effort in driving the sustainability agenda: for its commitment to biodiversity and for eliminating fossil fuels from its Distillery. This year, Glenmorangie and partners placed its 20,000th oyster in the Dornoch Firth, as part of a ground-breaking environmental initiative to restore native oyster reefs. As a result of multiple initiatives, all its energy purchases will soon be green.

Glenmorangie’s whiskies were further hailed at both ceremonies. At the Scottish Whisky Awards Glenmorangie Signet, whose mocha taste was inspired by a cup of coffee, won the category of Single Malt No Age Statement with a gold medal. The Travel Retail exclusive Glenmorangie Accord was judged top of the Single Malt 12-Year-Old category, with another gold. At the Scottish leg of the Icons of Whisky Awards, in the Single Malt Scotch Highlands section, the smooth and rounded Glenmorangie Original won the 12 Years and Under category. Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1996’s luscious, creamy taste won the 21 Years and Over category.

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