20-Tonne Pictish Sculpture Unveiled Outside Glenmorangie’s Livingston Bottling Plant 

— Sculpture marks 20 million bottles passing through state of the art production facility since it opened in 2010. Unveiling comes as Glenmorangie celebrates record export figures in the US, selling 100,000 cases in 2013, up from 37,000 in 2009 — 

— Sandstone sculpture explores Scotland’s Pictish heritage and celebrates Glenmorangie’s Highland roots —  

A 20-tonne sculpture – commissioned by The Glenmorangie Company to stand outside its bottling plant in Livingston as a permanent reminder of its Highland roots – will be unveiled by West Lothian Council Provost Tom Kerr on Monday 2 December. 

Ross-shire based Barry Grove – internationally regarded as one of the finest large stone sculptors working today – was asked by the company behind Scotland’s favourite malt whisky to create a sculpture which explored the country’s Pictish heritage.

 Created over two years using only traditional hand tools, the 300-million-year-old sandstone sculpture named ‘Reveal’ stands two metres high and is just over three metres long. 

Since opening in 2010, 20 million bottles have been produced at Glenmorangie’s state-of-the-art production facility. The new bottling plant was a key element of a multi-million-pound investment by the company to service growing demand for its single malt whiskies worldwide. The strategy has paid off with sales of Glenmorangie, the US’s fastest growing single malt whisky growing, from 37,000 cases in 2009 to more than 100,000 already in 2013. 

Operations Director Peter Nelson commented: “We are very proud to have a major public artwork by a leading artist sited outside our modern production facility. Carved out of 300 million-year-old sandstone from around Glenmorangie’s Tain distillery it celebrates Scotland’s Pictish heritage and is a link to our roots in Ross-shire. 

“It also comes at a time when Scotland’s favourite malt whisky is becoming more and more popular in export markets, with the US reaching an important milestone this year of 100,000 cases. 

“We are proud of our heritage and also our export-driven success over the past few years. This is based on innovations such as the new production facility at Livingston’s Alba Campus, which has now seen 20 million bottles pass along its bottling lines since opening just three years ago.” 

West Lothian Council’s Provost Tom Kerr commented: “I was delighted to have been invited to unveil this magnificent sculpture.  Glenmorangie is a global product and a major exporter and West Lothian is very proud to be associated with it. Reaching 20 million bottles is very significant and the sculpture is a very fitting way to mark the milestone.” 

Barry Grove said: “I am passionate about creating pieces of public art that will last for generations. The sheer size and scale of this project has presented a real challenge but I wanted to stay true to the spirit of the enterprise by using traditional stonemason’s tools.

 “The sculpture explores the theme of re-discovery and depicts blowing leaves revealing a symbol of Pictish design and intricate knot-work, the origin of which dates back to 800AD.”

Notes  

About Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky originates in the Scottish Highlands where, at the Glenmorangie Distillery, it is distilled in the tallest malt whisky stills in Scotland, expertly matured in the finest oak casks, and perfected by the Men of Tain. The Distillery was founded in 1843 and is renowned as a pioneer in its field uniting tradition with innovation to create ‘unnecessarily well made whiskies.’ 

Responsible Drinking

The Glenmorangie Company advocates responsible drinking and suggests that drinkers savour Glenmorangie whiskies in moderation and in line with recommended daily guidelines for alcohol consumption. 

About Barry Grove

Barry Grove has been carving large stone projects for over 20 years and since graduating with a BA (Hons) in Design from Dundee Art College in 1989 has been specializing in traditional Scottish carving. Barry is internationally regarded as one of the finest large stone sculptors working today. He has worked closely with Historic Scotland and respected experts in this field on a variety of projects over the years as well as accepting numerous private commissions including the Royal family, large international corporations and high-net-worth private clients. Grove is keeping alive the art of stonemasonry in Scotland using traditional tools and techniques. He is based near Tain in the Highlands, where many Pictish artefacts have been discovered and where Glenmorangie’s iconic single malt has been distilled since 1843.

Caption

Sculptor Barry Grove with his 20-tonne Pictish masterpiece, which was unveiled at The Glenmorangie Company’s state-of-the-art bottling plant in Livingston today (Monday 2 December)