The Japanese concept of shinra bansho finds itself at the heart of Glenmorangie Dr Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto 23 Years Old
Glenmorangie’s Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden has teamed up with Japanese botanical artist Azuma Makoto to create a new whisky inspired by the Japanese concept of shinra bansho (meaning “all things in nature”), Glenmorangie Dr Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto 23 Years Old. This isn’t the first time the Highland whisky makers have turned their love of nature and Japanese culture into new expressions. Back in 2022, they released A Tale of the Forest, and last year they followed up with A Tale of Tokyo.
The Scotch was inspired by a trip Dr Bill and Azuma took to Glenmorangie’s Highland Distillery. The botanical artist shared with the whisky creator the notion of shinra bansho, which embraces the ground, the sky and everything in between. And together they imagined how they might collaborate to create a unique single malt which celebrates nature in all its forms.
To create the whisky, Dr Bill first took a classic Glenmorangie, long aged in bourbon casks, and united the single malt with Glenmorangie’s first whisky ever finished in casks that once held Chardonnay white wine from the Meursault appellation in Burgundy.
The whisky’s packaging, meanwhile, comes from Azuma Makoto, who, in his Tokyo studio, drew on the whisky’s flavors to create his own masterpiece. Gathering orchids, roses and wild flowers from Scotland and around the world, he wove them through tree bark, roots and moss to create a botanical sculpture. Entitled Shinra Bansho to reflect the notion at its heart, the piece is Azuma’s own tribute to nature’s evolving harmonies and can be seen on both the box and the bottle.
“Our collaboration with Azuma Makoto is a delicious celebration of nature’s wonder,” said Dr Bill. Including our first whisky finished in Chardonnay casks from Burgundy, this 23-year-old single malt encapsulates nature in all its forms, through notes of lemon balsam, poached pears and cocoa powder layered on the oaky, earthy tones of the forest floor. Azuma-san’s stunning sculpture, featured on the whisky’s packaging, evokes the fragrant scents and elemental depths of this extraordinarily rare whisky – a gift from nature itself.”
Azuma Makoto added: “I was honored to partner with Dr Bill for this special celebration of shinra bansho. My sculpture is a response to my view of Earth’s blessings – my sense of gratitude for nature – and for the flavor of the Highlands, expressed deliciously in Dr Bill’s whisky.”
Glenmorangie Dr Bill Lumsden x Azuma Makoto 23 Years Old is available in select retailers in the UK, China, Japan, Taiwan, India and the USA as well as Glenmorangie’s inaugural boutique at London’s Heathrow airport, Terminal 2. For more information, head over to the brand’s official website.
