Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation and Whisky Stocks at Glenmorangie, takes us behind the scenes of the offbeat Once Upon a Time in Scotland short films, which see Ford journeying to Glenmorangie’s Highland home and getting to grips with the nuances of Scottish pronunciation and kilt etiquette – all shot in an unconventional, deliberately “off-script” style.
Q&A with Dr Bill Lumsden
How was your experience of making Once Upon a Time in Scotland – was it as fun as the short films make it look?
My experience of being a part of Once Upon a Time in Scotland was absolutely fabulous. We were filming for three days in total around the Glenmorangie Distillery in the Scottish Highlands and a lot of fun was had. Seeing Harrison Ford acting alongside our real distillery team was a real joy – his humour, professionalism and love of Scotch whisky shone through and it’s an experience that we’ll all cherish for a very long time.
What was it like meeting Harrison Ford? He seems like the kind of person who doesn't take himself seriously, even though he does take his art (and his whisky) seriously.
What struck me about Harrison was that he is incredibly down to earth, genuine and very curious. I spent some time with him, both on set and behind the scenes at Glenmorangie House where he was staying, introducing him to even more Glenmorangie whiskies to help him discover the full range. Whilst at the distillery, we gave him a tour of the production areas and you could tell he has a real interest and appreciation for craftmanship. Harrison is also a carpenter by trade so he had a lot of questions about the process, and about the casks that we use to mature Glenmorangie. Both on and off set, he was great fun to be around and made the entire production team and his distillery co-stars feel at ease.
Did any particular Glenmorangie products take his fancy, to the best of your recollection?
One of the reasons that we wanted to work with Harrison Ford for this campaign was because he has a genuine love for Single Malt Scotch Whisky. That was incredibly important to us. Master Blender Gillian Macdonald and I introduced him to several whiskies and some special cask samples, and he particularly enjoyed the ones with ‘a bit of bite!’. One of his favourites in the range was the Glenmorangie 18 Year Old - The Infinita.
The "home" of Glenmorangie also has a starring role in the episodic films. How special was it for you to see the sights and sounds of this historic Highlands distillery being captured for posterity on film?
The campaign is a real love letter to Scotland and more specifically our Highland home in Easter Ross. All of the locations that you see in the campaign are within a 20-mile radius of the distillery itself, which is just outside of the historic town of Tain. My very first role at Glenmorangie was as Distillery Manager and I was based in Tain, so to see the local landscapes captured and presented so beautifully to whisky lovers around the world fills me with pride; the campaign captures the true essence of Glenmorangie including not only its place but its people and of course our whiskies. For all those things to be in the spotlight alongside a timeless global icon is a very proud moment.
Laypeople (and even connoisseurs) don't always appreciate the craft that goes into whisky distilling. Do you think these films will serve as a good entry point into the brand (or even reinforce its appeal) for whisky lovers?
I think that this series of films is a superb introduction to Glenmorangie for those that appreciate premium spirits and whisky. Craft and heritage are central to the appeal of quality Scotch whisky and we know that’s something that resonates with consumers. The campaign aims to refocus the spotlight on this element of Glenmorangie but in a light-hearted way; it deliberately pokes a bit of fun at the stereotypes of Scotch whisky whilst remaining authentic to our craft and our whisky. We’ve seen millions of engagements on the content so far and there’s more to come – keep your eyes peeled!
The first nine Glenmorangie Once Upon a Time in Scotland episodes are available to view at https://www.glenmorangie.com/pages/harrison-ford. More films in the series will be released during the course of 2025. DM