Sweet memories inspire Tain-based distiller Glenmorangie's new single malt – and CakeTail from the Willy Wonka of New York
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A ROSS-SHIRE distillery has opened a fresh chapter with the creation of a new malt inspired by cake.
Inspired by favourite memories of baking, birthdays and celebrations in general, Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake celebrates all that is good about cake.
Described as sweet and indulgent, the limited edition single malt's whisky’s flavours of honey, white chocolate and fruit has inspired award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel to dream up a cake and cocktail pairing – a CakeTail – in its honour.
The Tain-based distillery's A Tale of Cake began when Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, found himself musing over how some of his most joyful memories involved cake – from baking with his granny, to the pineapple upside down cake his daughter made him for his birthday.
Dreaming of encapsulating cake’s magic in a single malt whisky, he experimented by finishing Glenmorangie in Tokaji dessert wine casks.
The single malt is said to taste particularly delicious alongside real cake, hence the hook-up with Dominique Ansel. The pastry chef, dubbed “the Willy Wonka of New York”, has a passion for exploring new tastes – including a donut-croissant hybrid.
Imagining how he could bring cake and whisky together, he created a unique twist on a pineapple boat cake inspired by Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.
Paired with a pineapple old fashioned cocktail by expert mixologist Jeremy Le Blanche, it is said to make a deliciously indulgent CakeTail.
The duo have also invented CakeTail pairings to celebrate three of Glenmorangie’s most-loved whiskies: The Original, The Lasanta and The Quinta Ruban.
Glenmorangie’s CakeTail pairings will be available to a lucky few from his bakery in New York.
But to make sure everyone can indulge, Dominique and Jeremy will also share versions that are easy to recreate at home, in a series of short films released on Glenmorangie’s social channels.
Bill Lumsden said: “Like so many of us, some of my favourite memories come from cake, whether it be helping my granny in her kitchen, or the pineapple birthday cake my daughter surprised me with one year. By finishing whisky in Tokaji wine casks, I’ve captured the joy of those indulgent cake moments in Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake. The liquid is a rich copper, but the taste is pure technicolour, luscious, sweet and complex with multi-layered bursts of honey, white chocolate and fruits with a hint of mint. As you might expect, it tastes incredible when enjoyed with actual cake, so it’s fantastic to see Dominique bring it to life in his CakeTails.”
Dominique said: “When I first tried Glenmorangie, it opened my senses to this amazing world of colour, texture, taste, and aroma ̶ it’s a new adventure each time. I never guessed I could enjoy whisky this much, but there is a friendliness to the way Glenmorangie tastes. Baking and whisky making are different worlds but they have a lot in common. If you stir Dr Bill’s passion for single malt with my love for cake, you get the best of both our worlds!”
Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake is available from a variety of e-retailers, stores, and specialist whisky shops worldwide. Visit Glenmorangie on Instagram to see Dominique Ansel’s creations come to life.
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