Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 43%ABV
Ageing barrels: Ex-Bourbon and ex-Sherry Amontillado
Chillfiltered: Yes
Additional colouring: Yes
Owner: Moet Hennessy
Average price: € 80.00
Official website: www.glenmorangie.com
Vote: 88/100
Bill Lumsden.
To the novices of whisky this name will say little or nothing, to the consumed drinkers probably much more. He is Glenmorangie’s celebrated Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation, whose work of research and experimentation on barrels seems truly tireless.
Glenmorangie’s many extra core range bottlings, with finishings in sometimes daring combinations of woods, all bear his signature.
Among Lumsden’s most recent creations, we find the “Legends” series, designed exclusively for the Travel Retail market (but now available, at least in part, also in large distribution) and inspired by the rich body of legends of the territory surrounding the distillery. It includes the Tarlogan, the Duthac and The Cadboll.
The Tayne recalls the sinking of a Spanish galleon off Tayne Bay, now Dornoch, in 1588. It appears that the ship, fleeing from the British fleet, had stumbled, not far from the present site of Glenmorangie, in a furious storm from which it couldn’t survive. Legend has it that, in addition to its crew, a fabulous treasure is buried in the depths of the sea…
Proposed at 43% ABV in liter bottles, instead of the usual 70 cl., this whisky is a NAS, not presenting an official declaration of ageing. We don’t know, in short, how many years it spent in ex-Bourbon Barrels of White American Oak before being finished, again for an unknown period of time, in barrels that had previously hosted Sherry Amontillado, Dr. Bill Lumsden’s favorite, as you can see in the suggestive promotional commercial distributed by Glenmorangie.
Tasting notes
The color is orange.
Bringing your nose closer to the glass is like pairing it with a box of stuffed milk chocolates: pistachio, orange and mint. The latter, in particular, gives a sense of smell that has the only sin of being a little elusive, a fresh balsamic note. The whole is enriched by a slight woody scent (which could reveal the youth of the distillate) and a pinch of ginger.
In the mouth it’s as if, after smelling them well, we had decided to eat all the chocolates. Ginger, which tickles the tongue, and a wooden impression complete the aromatic profile.
The finish, on notes of chocolate and wood still, is not very long but is appreciated.
A delicious whisky, very inviting, as often happens with Glenmorangie, with an original balsamic note that gives the whole seductive summer suggestions.
But if you enjoy it in winter, pleasure is still guaranteed.
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