There are collaborations that feel like marketing exercises, and then there are those rare partnerships where two disciplines genuinely converge to produce something worth paying attention to. The Glenmorangie 23 Year Old Dr Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto falls firmly into the latter category. This is a meeting of minds between one of Scotch whisky's most inventive distillers and a Japanese botanical artist whose work explores the tension between beauty and decay — themes that, when you think about it, sit at the very heart of what aged whisky is about.
At 23 years old and bottled at 46% ABV, this is a Highland single malt that has had serious time to develop character. Dr Bill Lumsden needs little introduction to anyone who follows the industry — the man has spent decades pushing Glenmorangie's wood management programme further than most distillers would dare, and his fingerprints are all over this release. The collaboration with Azuma Makoto brings an aesthetic dimension to the presentation, but make no mistake: what matters is what's in the bottle, and what's in the bottle is unmistakably the work of a distiller operating at the top of his craft.
Glenmorangie has always been a distillery that rewards patience. Their stills — the tallest in Scotland — produce a notably elegant new-make spirit, and that elegance only deepens with extended maturation. Twenty-three years is a serious statement of intent. At this age, you're looking at a whisky where the wood influence and the distillery character have had ample time to find their balance, and at 46% without chill filtration, you're getting the full expression of that conversation between spirit and cask.
Tasting Notes
I'll be honest — this is a whisky that deserves to be sat with rather than rushed through a tasting grid. The 46% ABV hits a sweet spot for a whisky of this age: enough strength to carry the complexity without the heat overwhelming the more delicate notes that two decades of maturation tend to coax out of a Highland malt. What I can say with confidence is that this drinks like exactly what it is — a carefully managed, well-aged single malt from a distillery that has never lacked ambition.
The Verdict
At £1,045, this sits in territory where you're paying for rarity, age, and the creative vision behind the release. Is it worth it? That depends on what you value. If you're a collector drawn to the intersection of whisky and art, the Makoto collaboration adds genuine cultural weight — this isn't a celebrity endorsement, it's a thoughtful pairing of complementary disciplines. If you're purely a drinker, you're getting a 23-year-old Glenmorangie shaped by one of the industry's most decorated whisky makers, and that alone carries real merit.
I've scored this 8.2 out of 10. It's a confident, well-crafted single malt that honours both the distillery's Highland character and the creative ambition of the collaboration. The age is worn gracefully, the ABV is well-judged, and the overall package suggests a level of care that justifies serious consideration. It falls just short of the very highest tier only because, at this price point, I hold the bar extraordinarily high — but it stands tall nonetheless.
Best Served
Neat, in a Glencairn, with time. A whisky that has spent 23 years developing doesn't need you to rush it. If you find it opens further after fifteen minutes in the glass, add the smallest splash of still water — no more than a teaspoon — and let it breathe again. This is not a Highball whisky. This is an armchair whisky, a contemplation whisky, the kind you pour when the evening has earned it.
