Origin: Highlands (Scotland)
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Gradation: 43%ABV
Agwing Casks: Ex-Bourbon and ex Sherry Oloroso
Chillfiltered: Yes
Additional Coloring: Yes
Owner: Moet Hennessy
Average price: € 107.00
Official website: www.glenmorangie.com
Vote: 81/100
The offering from Glenmorangie, the distillery with the highest stills in Scotland, is so dynamic, with updates to its core range, Private Editions, exclusive bottlings for the Travel Retail market and Prestige Expressions, that it’s hard to keep up to date. On the other hand, the research on casks conducted by Bill Lumsden, somewhat pompously defined as Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation & Whisky Stock, is unrelenting and evidently bearing good fruit. So today we are rather curious to taste the award-winning 18yo ‘Extremely Rare’, as it says both on the packaging and on the label.
The recipe for this whisky is quite unique. After 15 years of ageing in ex-Bourbon casks made with American white oak from the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, 30% of the distillate is transferred to ex-Sherry Oloroso casks, returning after 3 years with the rest to be bottled at 43% ABV.
Tasting notes
In the glass, it shows a beautiful warm gold colour.
On the nose, the very first impression is of blood orange juice. As the minutes pass, a lively fragrance of mixed citrus fruits is appreciated, accompanied by a sometimes cloying note of jasmine. The ginger-based spice gives the whole a lively edge, while a blackberry bush, a pear salad and, very surprisingly, a barely perceptible wisp of smoke peep out behind it.
The opening is a pleasant alternation of lemon and ginger, over which a hint of walnut strolls wobbly. A memory of freshly cut wood is not far away. Over time, an impression of meringue emerges, more evident in the finish, dusted with ginger and a little fleeting.
A good nose, a barely discreet palate and a fairly quick finish. Quite frankly, we would have expected at least a little more layering of aromas from such ageing. It’s not a bad whisky, of course, but this Glenmorangie 18yo falls a little short of (our) expectations.