Kategoriarkiv: Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 14 YO The Elementa – New Charred Oak Cask Finish

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and oaky. At first there’s a hefty vanilla oakiness sitting on top of a malty and honey driven sweetness. There’s a hint of lemon in the back, but the oakiness overruns everything for a long time. It’s very top heavy and the new oak finish makes the quite long maturation time useless. There’s a caramel added to the sweetness after a while, but it really does nothing. This is a weird nose. It’s not very bad, it’s just way over-oaked.

Mouth: It starts out with an immidiate caramel sweetness and a very spicy and protruding vanilla oakiness. Underneath lies a bitter coffee note and maybe just a drop of lemon in the back. There’s not much more happening at this point. It’s still way too oaky which makes it uninteresting and slightly unpleasant. The caramel sweetness grows over time.

Finish: The finish starts out with a surge of the bitter notes in the back before the oakiness once again attacks the palette. At this point it’s actually very unpleasant and the late finish just consists of too much oak and a wait for it to disappear. This is a bad whisky which is completely destroyed by the new oak finish. There’s no complexity nor balance, just a big piece of oak to chew on. This could work well as a mixer though.

Additional information
The Elementa is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail series called Legends. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in charred virgin oak casks.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO The Accord

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark fruits and spicy oak. At first there’s a dark fruitiness with red ripe berries mixed with some fresh ones. There are christmas spices and fresh oak floating around within. It feels quite sticky and sweet overall and there’s a small top note of nail polish remover. When it settles the whole becomes more balanced but it feels a bit engineered and top heavy. The background seems to be missing due to this. A floral note can be found every now and then but it’s quite elusive. This is a nice nose but it lacks depth and complexity.

Mouth: It starts out with a bit underwhelming compared to the nose. It starts out with a mild sweetness and a hint of oak. First out after that is a lemon note in the back and then a red berry fruitiness arrives up front. It feels way too oaky at this point which really makes it less appealing. The spicyness arrives soon and it mainly comes from the oak. There’s a maltiness in the middle and a hint of tropical fruits start to come through for those who wait.

Finish: The transition is mellow and there are no spikes or dips. The oak and red berry mix continues for a while before the tropical fruitiness kicks in and becomes really pronounced. It comes from within the oak and finally a vanilla note arrives as well. The late finish is all about a sawdust oakiness and is quite boring. This is a good whisky. It’s the new kind of single malt which is way too oaky with a lot of top heavy flavours, which works as a drinker’s dram but not for an interesting and genuine whisky experience.

Additional information
This started out as a travel retail exclusive whisky. It’s aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Quinta Ruban Port Cask Finish

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s sweet layer of honey and malt mixed with black and red berries sitting on top of a fresh lemon sourness. The whole feels very cohesive and there are no sharp edges at all. There are som mild baking spices present as well as a more ripe raisiny fruitiness. With time in the glass vanilla starts to get noticed. The main focus lies on the berries and lemon though. This is a very nice nose. It’s not complex but it delivers everything in a very pleasant way.

Mouth: It starts out with a mild dark raisin and coffee note before the sweetness comes creeping up around the edges. After a second or two the sour lemon note starts to take over the background. It creates a nice contrast between the sweet, sour and bitter notes. It’s not as fruity as on the nose and it takes a while for the whole to reach its potential. It’s slightly dusty and the fresh berries do arrive for those who decides to wait. The fruitiness shifts towards liqeuer-soaked cherries after a while as well.

Finish: The dark raisin note shows up in the middle while the coffee bitterness now move to the back of the palate where it meets up with the lemon. All along the sides there’s a nice nutty oak increasing in intensity as well as a honey sweetness. It becomes slightly astringent. The oakiness brings hazelnuts and vanilla to the finish. The cross-section between the oak and the lemon produces a touch of tropical fruits with mango and pineapple. There’s a mild spicyness following along the finish but it never interferes with the rest of the flavours.

Additional information
This is one out of three expressions in the Glenmorangie ”extra matured” series. It’s aged 10 years in ex-bourbon casks and finished for 2 years in ruby port pipes. It’s now replaced by a 14 YO.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie X

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is mild and sweet. At first there’s just a gentle and sweet vanilla and honey oakiness coming through. There’s also a tiny maltiness in the center. After a while a fresher fruitiness with lemon and a hint of pears starts to emerge but it’s very afraid to make its precence known. The whole is very flat and nothing pops out of the glass in anyway. There’s not much of a journey either. This is not offensive, it’s just a bit boring and uninteresting to explore.

Mouth: It starts out a bit flat and watery with a slight bitterness in the back. A mild and sweet butterscotch and toasted oak arrives almost immidiately though. The butterscotch resides in the center and there is a mild oak spicyness out on the edges. The fruitiness returns and it’s the same lemon and pear notes as on the nose. The fruitiness joins the oak spice on the edges. A honey sweetness comes forward for those who wait.

Finish: The finish is at first sweet and minty. After a few seconds the fruitiness returns as well as the butterscotch but it’s too little, too late. The oakiness takes over and the last part of the finish just gives a toasted oakiness and a gentle minty note which, together with the sweetness, has a tooth paste feel to it. This is a decent whisky with a ”made for mixing” tag on the bottle, which feels accurate. This is not the best neat pour out there, but it can hold its own against a lot of cheap entry malts.

Additional information
This is a whisky made for drinks and cocktails. It’s aged for an undisclosed amount of time in a mix of ex-bourbon and new charred oak casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 12 YO – The Lasanta

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a sweet base with malt, vanilla and honey sitting underneath a sweet layer of mixed fruits. There are raisins and raspberries detectable within the fruitiness. There’s also a fresh lemon peeking through from behind as well as an undefinable herbal note. With time the sweetness moves forwards and mixes with the fruits which becomes a bit darker. It feels quite round and accessible. It’s a clean and well behaved dessert in a glass. This is a good nose. It’s not especially complex but does its job competently.

Mouth: It starts out with an outer layer of dark fruitiness surrounding a sweet and malty core. It feels darker and more powerful than on the nose with a contrasting fresh lemon note piercing through the center from the back. It’s leaning more towards vanilla than honey within the core and it’s not as sweet anymore. There’s a bitterness coming from the background and it feels somewhat dusty. It’s a generic bitterness not connected to any other flavour. It still fits in with the rest of the palate though.

Finish: There’s a small flare of spicyness at first but it subsides rather quickly. When it subsides there’s room for the bitterness to increase in intensity. It’s now connected to a nutty oakiness. It feels like a mix of hazelnuts and walnuts. There’s also a fresher oakiness to be found later in the finish. The lemon note is still there as well as the dark fruits, but they are pushed out towards the edges and to the back. This is a very good whisky. It’s not complex but really well put together. It has a light and quite clean character which is in line with its premisses.

Additional information
The Lasanta is a part of Glenmorangie’s Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 2 years in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

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Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Duthac

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. It starts out with a mix of assorted fresh fruits and berries with a vanilla coating. There’s a laid back oakiness sitting around the edges and a honey and liquorice sweetness. With time in the glass a tropical fruitiness starts to come through from the back as well as a feint charcoal smokiness. The overlying fresh fruitiness becomes clearer and reveals rapsberries and lemon, but are soon joined by ripe darker fruits. This is a nice nose overall which seems balanced between the components.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and malty. It takes a while for the fruitiness to arrive and when it does, it seems less fresh and leans more towards a mix of overripe and dried fruits. The oakiness is creating an outside layer and creates a bitter black coffee bitterness. The whole is less fruity than the nose and not nearly as balanced. The sweetness is quite clingy and syrypy.

Finish: It starts out with a mild spicyness and a small dip in flavour except for the clingy sweetness. When the fruitiness returns it once again produces the nice mix of overripe red berries and a mix of dried tropical fruits. The oakiness is still creating an outside layer with a coffee note and a feint hint of charcoal. There’s also coconut coming through in the finish. This is a good whisky with a very nice nose.

Additional information
The Duthac is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail series called Legends. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and combined with whisky finished in ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks and charred virgin oak casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Tayne

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly fruity. At first there’s a vanilla and honey sweetness together with a hint of rye and liquorice. In the center a dark and syrypy fruitiness can be found but it’s somewhat muted from the start. The whole thing is a bit withdrawn and hard to get. There’s an oakiness floating around in the back as well as a hint of lemon. This is a nice enough nose but it’s not especially interesting.

Mouth: It starts out with a nutty oakiness surrounding a sweet center core. There’s a walnut bitterness in the back and up front there’s a mix of honey, dark fruits and coffee liqueuer. There’s a mild chili spicyness which creates a much needed impact on the palate. There’s no journey through it though, except for the mild spicyness everything is just sitting there, no surprises along the way.

Finish: The same goes for the start of the finish. It sort of just seemlessly tranisitons without anything flaring up or disappering. It’s still a nutty walnut oakiness in the back and a coffee liqueuer and dark fruitiness up front. The spicyness stays at a reasonable level throughout. With time the oakiness takes over and it becomes somewhat dry and slightly astingent. The oakiness is nutty and becomes quite tasty when it leaves most of the other flavours behind. This is a good whisky but it comes of as a bit one-dimensional and boring.

Additional information
The Tayne is a travel retail exclusive released in january 2016. It’s aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in european ex-Amontillado sherry casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Dornoch – Limited Edition

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and slightly fruity. At first there’s a big honey and vanilla impact. Behind the sweet layer lies a touch of mixed dried fruits. Deeper down there’s a hint of a smoky peat, but it’s very subtle. When it settles it reveals a fruity distillate with green apples within and a maltiness with a hint of toffee. The whole thing is covered in mild menthol. This is a nice laid back and subtle nose without being flat and boring.

Mouth: At first there’s a thin layer of fresh oak and very mild peat surrounding a sweet inner core. That layer soon shifts into a coffee bitterness and moves back, but it stays connected to the sherry notes arriving in the center. The sweetness subsides and makes room for dried fruits and a hint of walnuts. All the flavours seem to grow richer with time. The apples are still detectable in the back.

Finish: The fresh oakiness and the mild smoky peat seem to stay constant through the transition. There’s a hint of pine shining through before the coffee bitterness and the dry fruits comes through once again. The maltiness is present as well as the walnuts but it’s no longer sweet. After a few seconds there’s a tropical fruitiness somewhere within. When the oak takes over it carries the very mild peat, the walnuts and the tropical fruits in its wake. This is a very good whisky with a somewhat complex character. It’s a bit mild at times, but it’s not bland.

Additional information
This limited edition release is made from classic ex-bourbon cask matured Glenmorangie as well as some lightly peated distillate matured in Amontillado casks. A donation is given to the Marine Conservation Society for the reservation of the Dornoch firth for each bottle sold.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 18 YO – Extremely Rare

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a very nice lemon freshness with vanilla, honey and a maltiness coming through from behind. Floral notes with a very ”hoppy” feel to them join the lemon in creating a very bright character. A small hint of red berries and a thin veil of cinnamon appear after a while in the glass. This is a very approachable nose.

Mouth: At first, there’s a creamy toffee with a spicy touch. It shows some age with a dusty layer and notes of old bookshelves. The base is still malty with honey and vanilla and the whole thing is a touch dry. The taste is not as bright as on the nose, but after a few seconds tropical fruits appear and they bring back the citrus fruits as well. The slight bitter notes coming from the oakiness steer it towards grapefruits. The oak itself is very nice and sits just right in between the other flavours.

Finish: It’s still lemon fresh with a creamy toffee base. The oak comes through fast and brings back a big bucket of assorted tropical fruits and grapefruits, lemon and a tutti frutti candy note. The oakiness is very nice and clear. A coffee note peeks through in the late finish. This is a well made comfort whisky.

Additional information
This 18 YO is a part of Glenmorangie’s prestige range. It’s aged for 15 years in american ex-bourbon barrels. Then it’s separated and about 30 % is moved to ex-Oloroso sherry casks while the rest remains in the ex-bourbon barrels. After three more years, the distillates are married back together and bottled.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 5/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is rich and sweet. At first there’s a honey and white chocolate sweetness covering a large part of the impact. There’s a thin floral layer floating on top and a hint of citrus fruits in the back. There’s also an eucalyptus note within as well as an almond nuttiness. It becomes sweeter with time and vanilla and sweet liquorice start to move up towards the edges. This is a great and rich nose with a lot of different things to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a powerful impact of honey, malt and eucalyptus. The core is surrounded by citrus zest and white chocolate. There’s a hint of tropical fruits floating around within as well. It’s somewhat astringent and the oakiness is peeking through every now and then. The liquorice shifts and moves towards the background. It feels very rich and textured. It’s not as floral and as on the nose.

Finish: The eucalyptus is spreading out over the palate and gives it a nice cooling effect. The citrus and tropical fruitiness are close behind as well as the white chocolate, honey and vanilla notes. The liquorice is still in there but it’s more subdued. The oakiness comes through quite late but when it does it’s a very nice nutty oakiness with a white chocolate coating. This is a fantastic dessert whisky. It’s very sweet but it still gives away a lot of different flavours to balance it out.

Additional information
This is part of the Glenmorangie Extra Matured series. It’s aged for 10 years in american ex-bourbon barrels and finished in french ex-sauternes wine casks for 2 additional years. It’s discontinued and replaced with a no age statement whisky with the same same.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Signet

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is dark and sweet. At first there’s a thick layer of coffee liqueur and raisins. Just underneath that is a thin rye-like note. There are also notes of pine, almonds and a hint of cola. A minty freshness creates a cloud hovering above everything else. It has a very homogenous center with a mild and round character but the pine notes are somewhat sticking out like small thorns. With time a fresher fruity and floral background emerges which gives it a nice three-dimensional profile. This also makes the pine settle down. This is a good nose with a lot to discover.

Mouth: It starts out with a lemon fresh background note and a robust black coffee bitterness up front. There’s vanilla and a small amount of dark fruits in the center with a honey note on top but the whole mainly rests on the bitter notes. There’s dark high percentage chocolate with some chili flakes within. The oak peeks through and the pine as well. It’s very consistant and there’s not a lot of flavour transitions over time.

Finish: The chili spicyness flares up in a nice way and stays for quite a while. The coffee liqueur returns as well as the dark chocolate and vanilla. The transition towards the oakiness is seemless and it emerges within the coffee and chocolate bitterness. The oak is nice but it isn’t making a big scene. With time there’s a tropical fruitiness coming through the oakiness which is very nice addition and a nice break from the bitterness. The finish is long and rewarding. This is a great whisky but it’s too focused on the bitter sensation which makes it a bit lobsided.

Additional information
The Glenmorangie Signet is made from two types of malted barley; A single estate cadboll and malted chocolate barley. The cask types aren’t disclosed but there are virgin oak casks involved in the maturation process. It’s unchillfiltered and has natural colour.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie A Tale of Cake

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ABV: 46 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is very sweet and fruity. At first there’s a thick sweet layer of honey, vanilla and ripe banana sitting on top of a fruitier background with tropical fruits and a white wine sourness. An ethanol cloud is sitting on top of everything and gives it a cooling effect. There are small hints of baking spices in the back, as well as a maltiness. With time in the glass it becomes sweeter and the wine finish becomes more pronounced. This is a nice nose, but it leans a bit heavy towards the sweet notes up front and feels a bit unbalanced.

Mouth: It starts out extremely sweet and a bit malty. It’s filled with overripe bananas, ripe green grapes and a generic sweetness. It’s somewhat dusty and everything still feels very much like it’s in your face. The background consists of the sweet white wine and it produces a sharp metallic lemon note in the back. Somewhere in between some tropical fruits do show up for those who are patient.

Finish: It starts out with malt and honey and then move quickly towards the fruitiness. It still has those sweet overripe bananas and grapes, but the tropical fruitiness soon takes over. The fruitiness is intertwined with the oakiness and together they take over completely. The oakiness is great. It’s nutty with just a hint of bitterness. The finish is by far the best part of the entire journey. This is a good dessert whisky and the narrative around cake is fitting. It’s not a dram for every occasion though.

Additional information
A Tale of Cake was released in 2020 as a limited edition bottling. It’s aged in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in hungarian Tokaji casks.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie Legends – The Cadboll

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ABV: 43 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a layer of vanilla and honey and a good amount of bright fruitiness. There are lemons, orange peel and a tiny hint of watermelons. A speck of dust is sitting on top and in the middle of everything there’s a sugary plum note, which sort of sits by itself surrounded by everything else. There’s also a mild menthol note in the background. It’s very rich and aromatic and very pleasant on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and dusty with a nice gentle spicyness to it. The flavour in the center gets wider and the plums are joined by raisins and red apples. The honey and vanilla is still very much in the forefront. The lemon and orange peel is still present and when the oak appears, the bitterness from the peel merge with the oakiness. The oak also brings bitter almonds and dark chocolate.

Finish: The fruitiness gets a little brighter and now there are tropical fruits mixed in. It’s still very sweet even though the oak arrives with a bitter tang. There are walnuts and freshly brewed coffee. There’s a tiny hint of leather and old dusty books coming through from the background. The oakiness is very nutty and the walnuts stay a long time in the finish. The sour lemon note returns in the tail end of the finish together with the remains of the tropical fruits. This is a very interesting yet easy sipper.

Additional information
The Cadboll is a part of Glenmorangie’s travel retail exclusive Legends series. It’s matured in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in ex-wine casks that preciously held Muscat and Sémillion wines.

Glenmorangie, Highlands

Glenmorangie 10 YO – The Original

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Highlands
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 1
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Sample in queue. Tasting notes pending.

See the queue here.

(Scribbles)

Nose: Sweet and malty with a touch of mint, lemon and vanilla. It’s not very complex.

Mouth: Sweet and a tiny bit dusty, citrus flavours like lemon, mint and vanilla.

Finish: The finish is long and gives a hint of tropical fruits, oak finish and a touch of vanilla.

Additional information
This is the base for Glenmorangie’s core range. It’s aged in first and second fill american ex-bourbon barrels. It’s distilled in the highest stills in Scotland, which makes it a very refined whisky.