Harrison Ford unveils his very own limited edition whisky: Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition.
A long-time whisky fan, the Hollywood actor has helped create something to his taste after falling for the brand while starring in its Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign.
Now, in the latest chapter of the series, he reveals the Highland single malt Scotch whisky he made with Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden MBE.
Ford has also given the whisky a trademark, no-frills seal of approval: “It’s very nice.”
Creating Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition
Whilst filming at the distillery, Dr Bill appears to have wasted no time introducing Ford to various casks to understand his flavour preferences.
In the months that followed, Dr Bill sent many more samples across the Atlantic, and the pair fine-tuned together before settling on the final recipe.
That would be classic bourbon cask-aged Glenmorangie with a parcel of rare whisky finished in toasted Portuguese red wine casks. It’s bottled at 46.5% ABV, so expect Glenmorangie citrusy elegance, but with more edge and chew.
An honorary member of the Whisky Creation Team
Recalling how the pair went about crafting the limited edition, Dr Bill said: “We knew Harrison was a whisky lover even before he arrived at Glenmorangie – so I was thrilled to make him an honorary member of our Whisky Creation Team as we went about creating his very own whisky! I think we’re both delighted with the result. In keeping with our signature style – and Harrison’s – the Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition is very elegant, and smooth.
“But since Harrison also likes his whisky with a little bite, we layered classic bourbon casks with the tang and structure of toasted Portuguese red wine casks. You’ll taste all the hallmark Glenmorangie notes of honeysuckle, citrus and buttery softness, countered by a marmalade edge and grippy tannins. This whisky is timeless and endlessly surprising… much like Harrison himself.”
“I loved my time at Glenmorangie, and have enormous respect for the team at the Distillery. They are true craftspeople. Collaborating with Dr Bill was a real treat – a chance to get inside the mind of a maker who combines art and science to create incredible single malt Scotch whisky,” Ford says.
“We tasted many casks together on our search for a Glenmorangie that would speak to my taste. Truth be told, I liked a lot of them – but the Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition is everything I want in a whisky. I’m immensely proud of our creation. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly do.”
The main man approves
Ford reveals his love for Glenmo
The Scotch has been unveiled by the actor himself in a new episode in the Once Upon a Time in Scotland series. The film was directed by Joel Edgerton in Ford’s home state of Wyoming and sees the actor reflect nostalgically on his time in the Highlands. He even tastes the new limited edition whisky on camera for the first time. In a kilt, of course.
Glenmorangie has also tapped Ford’s cinematic career to support the launch. This whisky comes with its own official Hollywood-style movie poster from acclaimed artist Julien Rico.
It’s set to appear in global movie districts like London’s Leicester Square and features five-star “reviews” from film critc Mark Kermode (“A distilled widescreen delight”) and Charles Maclean (“It deserves to win many awards”).
Dram Solo?
Since the article was first published, I had a chance to catch up with Dr Bill, master blender Gillian Macdonald, and The Glenmorangie Co CEO, Caspar MacRae at a launch event at the Everyman cinema in Edinburgh. The latter tells me the pricing was deliberatley pitched so it would sell out and people would actually open their bottles. Success, I would say (given we’ve sold out now, soz). Bill and Gill also gave more insight into working with Ford. The standout note from Ford was that he wanted to create a whisky with bite. That came up a lot. But it’s not an easy task given the house style is all fruity elegance. Dr Bill recalls that one of the first vintage releases after he became master distiller (1997) had this sharper, grapefruit element. While he says “most people hated it”, he was a fan and it was where his head went to when thinking about this whisky.
Now, as with all Glenmo recipes, a fair amount is “shrouded in mystery and alchemy,” as Dr Bill puts it, but he was happy to reveal that the bite they did eventually achieve was charged by heavily toasted Portugeeze wine casks and also a fair bit of age. Gill and Bill narrowed down three options for Ford, but both agreed there was one was sure to pick. Which he did. They also reveal the extent of Ford’s involvement, with samples sent across the pond prompting lots of email correspondence and even one time a surpirse phone call just as Dr Bill was leaving work.
Having tasted the whisky a couple of times now, the bite is very much there, but moored to the creamy, bright citrusy glow of Glenmo you’re familiar with. That’s the bourbon casks doing their work. “Grapefruit breakfast marmalade,” is what Dr Bill calls that sharper quality, and says the mandarin orange of The Original has developed into Seville orange (he also thinks that it’s more satsuma in quality in the 18 Year Old). We also spoke a bit about how those citrusy congeners develop during distillation (in those famous stills as long as a giraffes neck, or an F1 car stood upright, Gill tells me) and combine with wood extractives to develop more depth. This exact process Dr Bill calls “One of the great undiscovered areas of whisky science”. We still have so much to learn. How exciting is that?
As for Dr Bill’s own review? “This isn’t nice, it’s fucking very very very nice”. I have to concur. There’s an offical tasting note below. And May the Fourth be with you.
New Glenmorangie is here! Drink it up, fuzzballs
Glenmorangie Harrison Ford Limited Edition tasting note:
Nose: Bright, zesty citrus leads the charge, all orange marmalade and grapefruit peel, backed by honeysuckle, jasmine, and a faint beeswax polish. A splash of water teases out peach blossom and soft vanilla cream.
Palate: Seville orange, lemon, and grapefruit bite softens into baked bread, apricot, muscovado sugar, and buttery toffee, before a mentholic lift cuts through the richness.
Finish: Lingering orange oil, gentle oak tannin, and a dry, slightly leathery fade.
