For the first time, Glenmorangie’s distillers give visitors behind-the-scenes tours

 — Meet the makers who star alongside Harrison Ford in Glenmorangie’s Once Upon a Time in Scotland film series —

Dougie Murray

Glenmorangie’s whisky makers are inviting visitors to go behind the scenes with them at their award-winning Distillery, for the very first time. For a limited time, some of the most seasoned Distillers of Tain are running Meet the Makers tours, offering their unique insights into the creation of Glenmorangie Highland single malt Scotch whisky. Since several of them star alongside Harrison Ford in Glenmorangie’s Once Upon a Time in Scotland series, filmed at the Distillery near Tain, visitors may want to take their selfie sticks with them…

For more than 180 years, the Distillers of Tain have been dedicated to Glenmorangie’s imaginative style of whisky making. With skills honed over generations, this small and close-knit team keep watch over their unusually tall stills, whose height allow for more taste and aroma. Then they age their elegant spirit in the world’s finest casks, to create Glenmorangie: one of the world’s most highly awarded Highland single malts. Revered for their skills around the globe, the Distillers play an important part in Glenmorangie’s witty and disruptive Once Upon a Time in Scotland series. Over 12 episodes, their expertise, character, warmth of personality – and their whisky – soon win over Ford, who plays himself.

Welcoming visitors for the Meet the Makers tours are Alan Duff Senior, his son Alan Duff Junior, Dougie Murray and Gordy Mackay. With almost a century of experience at Glenmorangie between them, these distillers are perfectly placed to explain the intricacies of their craft to visitors, taking the time to answer in-depth questions in the Still House and the Mash House – and share a few stories about their time at Glenmorangie. They may even reveal what it was like to star alongside Hollywood’s finest.

Gordy Mackay

Throughout the 12 episodes of Once Upon a Time in Scotland, ‘the Alans’ have enchanted global viewers with their cameos. The pair’s subtle Highland wit and obvious rapport with Ford, shine through in several memorable scenes. Meanwhile, Gordy is seen sharing a joke with Ford as the pair meet for the first time; Harrison mishears Gordy when he tells him he’s a Mash man in the distillery – to which Harrison responds: “There’s a mosh pit?!”.

In addition to the new Meet the Makers tour, the distillery will also be offering a daily Old & Rare Warehouse Tasting, where whisky fans can sample four rare Glenmorangies in one of the distillery’s traditional dunnage warehouses.

Glenmorangie’s Director of Hospitality and Corporate Affairs, Ellie Goss, said: “We are so excited to offer our unique Meet the Makers tours to visitors for the first time ever. This is a rare opportunity for whisky lovers, as well as locals who may have enjoyed our classic tour before, to learn about the inner workings of Glenmorangie from the real people who make it. With decades of expertise, our Distillers of Tain know everything there is to know about our exceptional single malt – and I have no doubt that they will give every visitor the same warm Highland welcome as they gave to Harrison Ford.”

To book a Meet the Makers Tour or an Old & Rare Warehouse tasting, visit www.glenmorangie.com/pages/distillery-tours

To see Glenmorangie’s team star alongside Ford in Once Upon A Time In Scotland, visit glenmorangie.com

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Instagram: @Glenmorangie 

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About Glenmorangie:

Glenmorangie’s whisky makers use endless imagination and five key ingredients – wood, water, barley, yeast and time – to dream up delicious single malt whiskies. They’ve been honing their craft for 180 years. They create a delicate and fruity spirit in stills as tall as a giraffe to allow for more taste and aroma. Led by Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden, this team are on a mission to bring new flavours and possibilities to the world of single malt.

In 2025, Glenmorangie unveiled a new brand campaign, Once Upon a Time in Scotland, fronted by Harrison Ford. Taking the form of 12 episodes, the series explores Glenmorangie’s authentic truths, from its stunning Highland surroundings to the real people who create its complex and elegant whiskies.

About the Meet the Makers Tour:

After being welcomed by a tour guide, visitors will be taken to the Mash House and the Still House to learn about Glenmorangie’s craft from the makers themselves. The behind-the-scenes tour ends with a visit to a traditional warehouse, where Glenmorangie is aged. Each tour includes a three-dram tasting of Glenmorangie’s classic whiskies. For those who want to dive even deeper into Glenmorangie’s flavours, the Distillery also offers an Old & Rare whisky tasting in a warehouse, including four drams, daily.

About the Distillers of Tain:

For more than 180 years, Glenmorangie has been perfected by its craftsmen, the Distillers of Tain. Passed down through the generations, their skills owe as much to instinct and feel as they do to meticulous, uncompromising precision. Throughout Glenmorangie’s heritage, the Distillers, who now number 20, are known and revered by whisky lovers around the world. In the past, they have been depicted on limited-edition packaging – and even inspired a studio album by guitarist Allan Holdsworth – which was named after them.

Alan Duff Snr, who has spent 30 years at Glenmorangie and Gordy Mackay (18 years) work together in the Mash House, where they oversee the mashing and fermentation stages of the whisky-making process. Dougie Murray, who has spent 31 years at the Distillery, works alongside Alan Duff Jnr in the Still House, where they oversee the distillation process, creating Glenmorangie’s complex and elegant spirit that’s ripe for maturation in oak casks. While he has spent only nine years on the team, Glenmorangie has long been a part of Alan Jnr’s life – he remembers coming to Distillery as a child, to drop his father’s lunch off for him.

About the Distillers in Glenmorangie’s brand campaign:

Notable clips from Once Upon a Time in Scotland starring these men, include the following:

• In The Campaign (episode 2), Ford arrives at the Distillery. After mistaking “Alan from the Warehouse” (Alan Jnr) for “Alan from marketing”, he gets a lesson from Alan on how to pronounce Glenmorangie correctly;

• In The Distillery (episode 5), Ford meets the whole production team. “Ahhhh… he’s your fault,” he says to Alan Snr, who stands next to his son. Then Ford jokingly instructs Alan Jnr: “Look after me car.” It is a rare Eagle Speedster Jaguar E-type;
• In the same episode, Gordon Mackay is introduced to Harrison, and explains he is a mashman. Humorously misunderstanding, Ford asks: “There’s a mosh pit? Ooooh!”
• In Teamwork (episode 10), Alan Snr introduces Ford to a particularly special whisky. Impressed by the Distillery’s heritage and the craft, Ford raises his glass to toast “the good people of Glenmorangy”. With comic timing, Alan Jnr corrects him once again: “It’s Glenmorangie.”