A NOTE FROM DIRECTOR LESLIE FERRIN

Since 2015, Ferrin Contemporary has had the pleasure of working with Peter Pincus witnessing first hand the development of his practice and career. We are thrilled to share news about a major commission and explore the path taken by Peter and his partner, Laurie that led them there.

Peter’s work was shown regularly at our North Adams gallery, beginning with Glazed and Defused, a group exhibition of intergenerational peers. During the next few years, his solo shows featured new works exploring two major influences: Josiah Wedgwood and Sol LeWitt. In 2018, funded research at the Birmingham Museum of Art into the life, practice, and innovation of Josiah Wedgwood led to Channeling Josiah Wedgwood and Peter’s work was added to their permanent collection.

Two years later in Art in the Age of Influence: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt featured a series of new works created in direct response to two of Lewitt’s works from his 100 + works at MASS MoCA (located, at the time, adjacent to Ferrin Contemporary’s gallery). The timing of the show, 2020, was significant as it opened during the pandemic when the future remained uncertain. However, despite the challenging time, museum acquisitions followed, private collectors responded and invitations continued to flow for Peter and Laurie. In 2023 his exhibition at RIT where Peter is an associate professor The Incomplete Collection  featured multiple works presented in linear installations produced during dedicated time to develop complex color theories and use of experimental technologies.

Since then, for nearly three years, Peter and Laurie have been working quietly on a commission to create a large scale, multipart, related series of vessels in their collaborative studio. This long awaited project includes 149 vessels commissioned by Glenmorangie in Scotland, UK.

Congratulations Peter and Laurie, PincUS, and thank you Glenmorangie for your support and incredible teamwork!

ABOUT GLENMORANGIE 50 YEARS OLD

For more than 180 years, Glenmorangie single malt Scotch whisky has been shaped by the heart and soul of the Scottish Highlands – its land and its people. Our makers craft their whisky from the water of the Distillery’s mineral-rich Tarlogie Springs. Then, in Scotland’s tallest stills, they distil an exceptionally delicate and pure spirit to create Glenmorangie’s signature elegance. Led by Director of Whisky Creation Dr Bill Lumsden MBE for more than 30 years, they are endlessly refining and redefining the flavour possibilities of single malt. From pioneering bespoke “designer” casks to exploring new ideas in their experimental Lighthouse distillery, they bring together art and science to create exceptional whiskies.

Glenmorangie’s distinctive Highland character is showcased in its Once Upon a Time in Scotland campaign, starring Harrison Ford. Set in the Distillery’s beautiful ‘backyard studio’ on the Dornoch Firth, the campaign captures the warmth of Glenmorangie’s creators, their commitment to craft – and of course, their elegant whiskies, which embody the Highland spirit.

Glenmorangie single malt Scotch whisky has unveiled the Glenmorangie 50 Years Old – the oldest- ever whisky to be bottled from the Highland distillery. This incredibly rare release has been nurtured meticulously by the distillery’s whisky makers over time and celebrates the extraordinary feat of maturing whisky for half a century, while preserving Glenmorangie’s signature elegance. Realised through the vision of acclaimed Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden MBE, who has stewarded the whisky through its final three decades of maturation in bourbon and sherry casks, it is presented in 149 bespoke porcelain display vessels crafted by celebrated ceramicist, Peter Pincus.

The creation of Glenmorangie 50 Years Old began with some of the last batches of barley malted in the distillery’s own floor maltings which were decommissioned in 1977, rendering The 50 Years Old a rare taste of a bygone era. Distilled in Glenmorangie’s uniquely tall copper stills, the spirit was then laid down to mature in bourbon hogshead casks and first-fill Oloroso sherry butts in the mid-1970s. The whisky had already achieved a considerable age when Dr Bill joined Glenmorangie as Distillery Manager in 1995, and during those early years of his tenure, he identified a handful of casks with the potential for significant ageing.

In 1999, Dr Bill selected a small parcel of whisky from these casks once they had reached a considerable age. This liquid, comprising mostly whisky aged in bourbon casks and a smaller portion from sherry butts, was then married in one refill hogshead barrel. This particular cask was identified as the perfect maturation partner, tightly coopered for a slow extended maturation that would impart the gentlest wood influence on the whisky, whilst maintaining Glenmorangie’s signature elegance.

Over the next 25 years, the whisky mellowed into a Glenmorangie with unparalleled depth and complexity, balancing the distillery’s signature house style with intense sherried notes. And after five decades in total, Dr Bill deemed this whisky ready to share. A remarkably rich mahogany in colour, Glenmorangie 50 Years Old reveals sweet aromas of baked oranges, sultanas and nutmeg, complemented by a herbal top note. To taste, the mouthfeel is gently peppery, followed by bold flavours of toffee, stewed Assam tea leaves, birch tar, and whisps of clove and oak tannin.

In honour of this milestone release, Glenmorangie has partnered with visionary American ceramic artist, Peter Pincus, to create a striking display for each of the 149 bottles. After visiting the distillery and tasting the whisky, Peter, his partner Laurie, and their studio team spent the next 1,000 days handcrafting 149 bespoke ceramic display vessels to honour the exceptional whisky within. Dedicating over three years to the project, Peter and Laurie Pincus pioneered new ceramic techniques and painstakingly cast and sanded each piece to perfection. Inspired by the palette of tasting notes in the whisky, they created 50 bespoke colour pigments to form a completely individual pattern on each vessel, applied by hand. Each ceramic vessel created fits together to display a tessellated wall of art, titled ‘Together in Spirit’ – a tribute to shared craftsmanship and boundless imagination.