The big interview: Caspar MacRae, The Glenmorangie Co
A three-year partnership between Hollywood icon Harrison Ford and Glenmorangie, plus a multi-million-pound investment in Ardbeg House – improvements are coming thick and fast at The Glenmorangie Company. We spoke to CEO Caspar MacRae to learn more about his vision.
*This feature was originally published in the March. 2025 issue of The Spirits Business magazine.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do once I entered the real world,” recalls Caspar MacRae, talking about his days at the University of Edinburgh where he was studying geography. While a career in whisky was not the obvious choice, it is one MacRae has enjoyed, and found success in, for more than two decades now.
But those familiar with MacRae’s work may not know that before his career in whisky he was a member of the Scots Guards in the British Armed Forces. “I spent my last two years [in the army] as an equerry, which is like a personal assistant or a private secretary to a member of the royal family,” that royal family member being the Duke of Kent, “and that was the launching pad for being a brand ambassador, and whisky”.
It’s a far from conventional route into the industry – but it was the Duke of Kent’s role as vice-president of British Trade International that allowed MacRae insight into numerous industries – including Scotch. “By that stage, I was formulating a belief that I’d really love to be involved in Scotch whisky, as something that is great for the Scottish economy and part of the cultural history of Scotland, and something that had always added a very positive aspect to my social relationships,” MacRae explains.
Armed with a more concrete career plan, MacRae relocated back to Scotland with his wife. In The Scotsman newspaper, he spotted an ad for The Macallan. “They were looking for a brand ambassador to go to America,” he remembers. “They had hundreds of applications, so I was extremely fortuitous to get the job. It started what turned out to be a lifetime’s pursuit of the promotion, making, and selling of single malt Scotch whisky.”
MacRae spent nearly six years in various roles at Edrington, owner of The Macallan, before moving to William Grant & Sons for more than a decade. He ended his tenure there as marketing director UK and Ireland, before joining The Glenmorangie Company as head of marketing and communications in 2018. Then in July 2023, MacRae took the helm of The Glenmorangie Company (owned by LVMH), as CEO and president.
MacRae says his various roles over the years – from ambassador positions and brand director roles to marketing – have equipped him with necessary skills to oversee the business. “As an ambassador, for example, I was very much consumer-, customer-, and client-facing,” he explains. “I spent lots of time in front of retailers, bartenders, consumers at whisky festivals and tastings. I was always curious about what they were enjoying, why they were enjoying it, what they were choosing, and how they were drinking it. That level of perspective is a great foundation for any career if you want to progress in the organisation.”
Transitional time
His progression to CEO of The Glenmorangie Company came just as the world was returning to a sense of normality following the Covid-19 pandemic. It was a transitional time for the spirits industry. “There was no doubt that there was a fantastic growth and interest and passion around spirits during the post-Covid peak,” MacRae says. “We’ve got more knowledgeable consumers than we’ve ever had before. Simultaneously, we’re in a period where the whole world is adjusting post-Covid.”
Since the pandemic, there have been numerous headwinds for the spirits industry, from tariff struggles to supply-chain delays, and more. “One of the things that’s really a byword for all businesses at the moment is, how can you have agility to respond to the dynamism of the marketplace? I don’t think there has ever been a period where things are changing quite so quickly in business cycles as they are today.”
One of the big challenges for producers today is retaining brand loyalty – which even for global whiskies, such as Glenmorangie and Ardbeg (also part of The Glenmorangie Company’s portfolio), cannot be taken for granted. “I don’t think anyone is quite as loyal as they used to be,” says MacRae. “Twenty years ago, consumers used to be very much a single malt person, or a brandy person. Now their repertoires are much more diverse, and they are much more occasion-specific. People’s choice of spirit tends to reflect the occasion nowadays, whereas beforehand, they were probably more category loyal.”
Glenmorangie and Ardbeg – the company’s smoky, Islay Scotch – are both known for having huge numbers of fans worldwide. What is it that keeps drinkers returning to both brands? “There is something very distinctive about both Glenmorangie and Ardbeg,” says MacRae. “Ardbeg is a niche within a niche. What I mean by that is that Ardbeg isn’t just a great archetype of Islay smoky single malt whiskies, it’s the smokiest of all Islay whiskies. It really holds a good anchor point in consumers’ repertoires.
“Glenmorangie is the leading Highland single malt whisky. If you take out the Highlands separate to Speyside, Glenmorangie is an archetype in its own right. It’s a very distinctive example of what Highland single malt whisky is. Having a clearly defined whisky proposition, and brand proposition for what you stand for, what your liquid stands for, is really helpful in anchoring your brand in bigger consumer repertoires.”
Never one to rest on its laurels, Glenmorangie has enjoyed heavy investment over the past few years to ensure it can broaden its appeal – and push the boundaries of single malt Scotch. In 2021, Glenmorangie opened The Lighthouse, a multi-million-pound innovation distillery. Towering 20m-high on the same site as the original Highland distillery, the facility was designed for innovation and experimentation over yield – a whisky playground for Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of distilling, whisky creation, and whisky stocks, and his team. “It’s an extraordinary addition to our capabilities,” remarks MacRae. “It gives true creative opportunities for somebody like Dr Bill to see what is within the art of the possible in single malt whisky-making.”
Another example of Glenmorangie’s pursuit of creating the best single malts possible is the recent revamp of its flagship 10-year-old Glenmorangie The Original to a 12-year-old expression. It is said to be the same profile, but it “turns up the volume” on classic notes of orange, vanilla, peach and honey, according to Lumsden.
“How can we make Glenmorangie of tomorrow even better than Glenmorangie of today? That’s one of the things Dr Bill always talks about,” says McRae. “It was a brave choice to move from being a 10-year-old single malt whisky to a 12-year-old in the pursuit of being ever better.”
As well as delivering great liquid, over the years Glenmorangie has campaigned hard to attract new drinkers to the whisky category; to celebrate its inclusivity as a spirit for everyone. Simultaneously, Glenmorangie has also tried to continuously connect with those who have been loyal not just to the brand, but Scotch whisky as whole.
A spirit for everyone
In 2020, Glenmorangie released the bright, multicoloured ‘It’s Kind of Delicious and Wonderful’ campaign, highlighting the inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility of whisky as a spirit for everyone. The brand evolved this year into the sepia-toned, heritage-rich Once Upon a Time in Scotland push, starring Hollywood actor Harrison Ford. It’s a change of pace for the brand – but an important one to speak to the more knowledgeable whisky drinker, while also educating newer Glenmorangie followers about the prowess of the brand, MacRae believes.
“We were really proud of the previous campaign, It’s Kind of Delicious and Wonderful,” he says. “At the time, we were speaking to consumers and clients, and we were hearing that there was a passion for premiumisation, that consumers around the world were looking to elevate their drinking experience.
“But many people felt turned away by the single malt whisky category because there were perceptions that it was a bit rule-bound. It was a bit staid. It was a little bit emotionally remote from them, and perhaps didn’t reflect consumers like themselves. So, we wanted to create this wonderful technicolour campaign, which we hope reduced some of those perceived barriers to enjoying taste and quality of single malt whisky.”
Mindful choices
MacRae continues: “Now the environment has changed a little bit. We are seeing that consumers are having to be more mindful of their purchase choices. They’re having to make value equations in their purchases a little bit more, perhaps, than they did a few years ago. So, one of the things we wanted to do was remind consumers of what’s always been true, that Glenmorangie is one of the best quality single malt whiskies in the world. It’s got incredible provenance, great craft behind it, but we wanted to tell that in a way that was engaging, fun, and good storytelling.”
The finished result is 12 mini ‘episodes’, directed by actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton, that star 82-year-old Indiana Jones actor Ford – alongside several employees who make Glenmorangie Scotch whisky.
Each episode takes a more traditional look at Glenmorangie and sees Ford embracing Scottish traditions, such as kilt-wearing, and sipping Glenmorangie next to an open fire, while taking viewers behind the scenes of Glenmorangie’s Highland home in Scotland.
The series was filmed over three days last summer, and is part of a three-year campaign with Ford. It was shot across multiple locations, including the distillery in Tain, Scotland – starring Lumsden, and Gillian Macdonald, master blender and head of whisky creation – 19th-century Ardross Castle, and against the backdrop of Loch Glass.
“Joel had a vision to take some of, perhaps, the more traditional tropes of Scotch whisky and play around with them with a sense of irony and parody, which was great fun,” MacRae says. “It soon became known to us that Harrison Ford was interested, particularly once he had tried our whiskies in more detail. There was a great creative process about the story; we wanted to tell Joel Edgerton’s perspective, then Harrison wanted to project his personality and his thinking on the category, and they created these 12 episodes, which we’re really proud of.”
A genuine icon
MacRae is confident the Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign has the allure to bring along drinkers who discovered Glenmorangie through It’s Kind of Delicious and Wonderful for this next chapter in the brand’s story. “I’d say in two ways,” he explains. “First of all, the choice of Harrison Ford. Harrison is a genuine icon around the world. Whether you’re my age and you remember Indiana Jones and Han Solo, or you’re younger and seeing him in the new Marvel movie [Captain America: Brave New World] as Red Hulk, Harrison is as active today as he has ever been. He is going to capture people’s attention.
“I think younger people will really enjoy the sense of humour about this campaign. It is, at moments, genuinely passionate and authentic in its love for single malt whisky. But Harrison is playing a version of himself in a very knowing and witty way. It’s a wonderful masterclass of Harrison’s acting as a comedic actor in this campaign. It is a parody of some of the classic tropes of single malt whisky.”
Investment has also been poured into Ardbeg. Millions of pounds are being spent on renovating a property on Islay, which is scheduled to open this autumn as Ardbeg House. Located on the shores of Port Ellen, a few miles from Ardbeg Distillery, the house has been designed to offer a world-class whisky and hospitality experience for visitors. It indicates not only Ardbeg’s commitment to great whisky and its fans, but also to the local community on Islay.
“Ardbeg House is really going to be the most extraordinary immersive whisky experience in Scotland, where you can come and feel the love for the brand,” enthuses MacRae. “But you can experience that in a place that’s authentically Islay, among Islay people as well.”
Future of single malt
Looking to the future of the single malt Scotch category, MacRae is confident it has a prosperous future – and for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, despite what he describes as a “more competitive market”.
“In the past 30 years, single malt whisky has averaged just under 5% compound annual growth as a category for more than 30 years now, which is a huge, sustained period of growth for the category,” he says.
“And, actually, we expect that trajectory to continue in the future. But two things have happened in the past 10 years: there has been a proliferation of brands coming to market, in American whiskey, single malt; there has been a great proliferation of choice. At the same time, even the core brands have seen much more innovation as well. So that combination has made it more challenging for brands to get across their clear brand proposition and to stand out on shelf in the competitive market.”
Pricing adds an extra level of competition, too, particularly in the current economic environment. While consumers worldwide are seeing their disposable incomes squeezed as living costs remain high, businesses are also grappling with inflation.
“There’s been a lot of cost for us to absorb as a business, and some of that has been passed onto the consumer, there’s no doubt about it. In an inflationary environment, we’re very conscious that the consumer is feeling the pinch more today than they were a few years ago, and we’re being mindful about pricing. Last year, you’ll have seen the introduction of Glenmorangie Triple Cask Reserve, which was clearly designed to be a fantastic, really enjoyable, accessible single malt – but at a price point [RRP £33] that allowed people to enjoy Glenmorangie.”
Spending power
He also notes that reimagining The Original 10-year-old into a 12-year-old did not come with “a particularly significant price increase across many markets” to give consumers a “better value equation. We want to reflect the craftsmanship, the skill, the cost of creating really fine whiskies in premium pricing, but we want to do it in a way that’s mindful of consumers’ spending power at the moment.”
In the coming year, MacRae highlights the Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign and the opening of Ardbeg House as his two “core brand-building objectives”.
He says: “We’ll be aiming to drive our success in the key markets around the world, the UK, the US, global travel retail, to accelerate our performance in the year ahead. All of that is in the context that we do have a very volatile trading environment out there, but at the same time we’ve got lots of opportunities.”
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