Glenmorangie releases A Tale of Cake expression - and a collaboration with Dominique Ansel

'CakeTails' by pastry chef Dominique Ansel bring the new expression's taste alive in cake form.

Published 24th Sep 2020
Updated 21 st Sep 2023

Glenmorangie celebrates the joy of cake in its new expression - a sweet and indulgent single malt Scotch whisky named A Tale of Cake.

Inspired by favourite memories of baking, birthdays and more, Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake celebrates all that is good about cake.

The brand have teamed up with award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, who has created a cake and cocktail pairing – a or caketail - that complements the whisky's notes of honey, white chocolate and fruit.

How did it come about?

Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake began when Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, found himself musing over how some of his most joyful memories involved cake – from baking with his granny, to the pineapple upside down cake his daughter made him for his birthday.

Dreaming of encapsulating cake’s magic in a single malt whisky, he experimented by finishing Glenmorangie in Tokaji dessert wine casks.

Skilfully layering their sweet, honeyed notes with Glenmorangie’s smooth, fruity character, Dr Bill created Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.

As the name suggests, this single malt tastes particularly delicious alongside real cake, which is why Glenmorangie has paired up with Dominique Ansel.

Like Dr Bill, the pastry chef hailed as “the Willy Wonka of New York”, has a passion for exploring new tastes (take for example his world-famous Cronut – a donut-croissant hybrid).

Imagining how he could bring cake and whisky together, Dominique created a unique twist on a pineapple boat cake inspired by Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.

Paired with a pineapple old fashioned cocktail by expert mixologist Jeremy Le Blanche, the combination makes a deliciously indulgent CakeTail.

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What is more, Dominique and Jeremy have also invented CakeTail pairings to celebrate three of Glenmorangie’s most-loved whiskies: The Original, The Lasanta and The Quinta Ruban.

Glenmorangie’s CakeTail pairings will be available to a lucky few from his bakery in New York, but to make sure everyone can indulge, Dominique and Jeremy will also share versions that are easy to recreate at home, in a series of short films released on Glenmorangie’s social channels.

Speaking of the new expression, Dr Bill said: “Like so many of us, some of my favourite memories come from cake, whether it be helping my granny in her kitchen, or the pineapple birthday cake my daughter surprised me with one year.

"By finishing whisky in Tokaji wine casks, I’ve captured the joy of those indulgent cake moments in Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake.

"The liquid is a rich copper, but the taste is pure technicolour, luscious, sweet and complex with multi-layered bursts of honey, white chocolate and fruits with a hint of mint.

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"As you might expect, it tastes incredible when enjoyed with actual cake, so it’s fantastic to see Dominique bring it to life in his CakeTails.”

Dominique added: “When I first tried Glenmorangie, it opened my senses to this amazing world of colour, texture, taste, and aroma ̶ it’s a new adventure each time.

"I never guessed I could enjoy whisky this much, but there is a friendliness to the way Glenmorangie tastes. Baking and whisky making are different worlds but they have a lot in common.

"If you stir Dr Bill’s passion for single malt with my love for cake, you get the best of both our worlds.”

Where to buy

Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake is available from a variety of e-retailers, stores, and specialist whisky shops worldwide priced at £75.

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Visit Glenmorangie on Instagram to see Dominique Ansel’s creations come to life.

CakeTail Serves & Recipes

Inspired by Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake

Eat: Dominique’s take on a pineapple boat cake celebrates the whisky’s delightfully sweet, fruity tastes in mini sandwich-style cakes made from slices of almond sponge soaked in a whisky syrup and layered with fresh pineapple and a brown sugar ganache.

Drink: The Cake Old Fashioned (at home version)

Ingredients

50 ml Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake
7.5 ml coconut water
7.5 ml pineapple syrup
1 dash Peychaud’s bitters
1 pinch black pepper

Method

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass over block/ cubed ice.

Garnish with a twist of orange zest and a walnut.

Inspired by Glenmorangie Original

Eat: Poached pears float in a syrup made with Glenmorangie Original and vanilla, complemented by lemon thyme and orange notes, in a creation hinting at the light, fruity tastes of Glenmorangie’s signature single malt whisky.

Drink: The Pear Fizz (at home version)

Ingredients

45 ml Glenmorangie Original
25 ml pear juice
10 ml lemon juice
15 ml vanilla syrup
1 dash orange bitters
Top with a splash of Champagne

Method

Shake first five ingredients with ice and fine-strain into chilled coupe.

Add a splash (25ml max.) of Champagne. Garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Inspired by Glenmorangie Lasanta

Eat: The richness of the whisky is accentuated in Dominique’s take on the affogato, with homemade chestnut ice-cream and smoked cinnamon cream showcasing The Lasanta’s spiced and nutty notes.

Drink: The Frosted Flip (at home version)

Ingredients

45 ml Glenmorangie Lasanta
15 ml caramel syrup
25 ml double cream
2 dashes Fee Bros. Aztec chocolate bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 whole egg

Method

Shake all ingredients with ice and fine-strain into a chilled glass over cubed ice.

Garnish with cinnamon dust and chocolate shavings.

Inspired by Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

Eat: The whisky’s deep chocolate notes shine through in a decadent dark chocolate-dipped brownie, which matches its velvety taste with a liquid praline centre infused with orange blossom and The Quinta Ruban.

Drink: Choco-Vino (at home version)

Ingredients

40 ml Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
15 ml port wine
10 ml Campari
5 ml dark creme de cacao

Method

Stir all ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass over block/ cubed ice.

Garnish with a twist of orange zest.

Location:none
Known for cake making, experimental jam recipes, Champagne, whisky and gin drinking (and the inability to cook Gnocchi), Rosalind is the Food and Drink Editor and whisky writer for The Scotsman, as well as hosting Scran, The Scotsman's food and drink podcast.
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