Glenmorangie Dornoch was released in 2017 as the ninth release in the distillery's Private Edition series, the experimental line overseen by Dr Bill Lumsden. Named for the royal burgh and cathedral town of Dornoch, which sits across the firth from the Tain distillery, it marked a rare venture into peat for a house better known for delicate, fruit-forward Highland spirit.
The Private Edition had become, by that point, the showcase for Lumsden's experiments — Sonnalta, Finealta, Artein, Ealanta, Companta, Tùsail, Tarlogan, and Bacalta having preceded it. Dornoch differed in that it drew on heavily peated malt, albeit used sparingly, to produce a whisky that wears smoke lightly rather than as its defining garment.
Bottled at 43% ABV and without age statement, it sits in the hand as any Private Edition does — tall, narrow, marked with the Signet of the Vikings. The nose offers gentle wood smoke threaded through the familiar Glenmorangie fruits: pear, honey, a curl of orange peel. The palate is neither coastal Islay nor Highland fire but something quieter: smoked almond, orchard fruit, toffee, a thread of brine. The finish is warm and measured.
It is, in truth, a polite peated whisky. Those hoping for thick phenol will find the smoke restrained almost to a whisper. Those who understand Lumsden's touch will recognise it as a study in balance — peat made to serve fruit, rather than overwhelm it. A fitting tribute to a town whose cathedral has stood quiet watch over the firth for eight centuries.
