Glenmorangie

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Glenmorangie Nectar D’or 12 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at home, $85 (bottle).

Hello old friend…

I did it! So we have arrived at Whisky #365 on the 365th day of the year! As I noted at the start of the year in my “What is Whisky a Day” article, I started the project on January 1st with Whisky #1 – the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or – as it had been my favourite go-to whisky for quite some time.

I had earmarked it to be my Whisky #365 on December 31st to see a) if it’s still my favourite, and b) how my appreciation and tasting of whisky might have changed through the course of the year. This will be the only whisky I have officially tasted twice over the course of 2014. There may have been a few I unofficially sampled on multiple occasions…just to be sure I got my tasting notes correct, all in the name of scientific research!

Below I have recorded my notes from this tasting of the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or on December 31st, 2014, but also listed in italics below my observations from my tasting of it as Whisky #1 back on January 1st, 2014. Ok, here goes!

Colour: Rich caramel.

Whisky #1 notes: Caramel. Damn – am I going to be able to come up with 364 other ways to describe the various golden shades of whisky?!

Nose: Burnt caramel, slightly nutty. Sweet vanilla and soft oak notes. A slight nose prickle.

Whisky #1 notes: Fragrant and slightly sweet. Makes you want to dive in and just taste it rather than sniff it all day.

Palate: Smooth entry, rich oily mouthfeel. Butter, honey and vanilla with a soft hint of black pepper.

Whisky #1 notes: Smooth when it first hits the tongue, slowly warming as it fills the mouth. Sweet flavours with some spices, hard to pinpoint exactly what they are. Tastes bloody good though.

Finish: Medium length, sweet honey and spice.

Whisky #1 notes: Lingering sweetness and a warm tingle at the front of the tongue. Leaves a distinct desire to have some more!

Comments: So is it still my favourite? Have my tastes changed? It’s a cracking whisky, I love it. My mate Brett – whom avid readers will know has been one of my trusted whisky tasting lieutenants throughout the year – simply commented that “it never fails, it’s the go-to whisky”. Hard to disagree with you there mate, the Nectar D’Or really is a top drop and amazing value too. After drinking 363 other whiskies this year, I can confidently say that the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or will forever remain a staple in my whisky collection at home.

It’s hard to say that another whisky is my new favourite, as it’s difficult for a new whisky to take that mantle if I’ve only tried it once through the year. However, I am very pleased that I’m still enjoying the Nectar D’Or so much after having had so many other amazing drams throughout the year – I was a little worried I may have fallen out of love with it.

You’ll have to stay tuned for my wrap-up article early in January collating all the highlights of the Whisky a Day journey to see my ratings of best blend, best value dram, most surprising whisky…and many more. Happy new year to you all, many thanks for your support following Whisky a Day in 2014, it’s been a blast. I will be continuing in 2015 with more whisky tastings and also starting to explore whisky and food pairing, whisky in cooking and other exciting adventures. In the meantime, grab yourself a great dram and have a happy new year!

Slainte,

Todd (aka Whisky a Day)

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Glenmorangie The Taghta Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.0%. Tasted at Glenmorangie Distillery (Tain).

Colour: Light golden toffee.

Nose: Juicy sultanas, brown sugar.

Palate: Creamy, oily mouthfeel. A slight peppery prickle on the tongue, but quite salty. Full flavoured, fruity, somewhat sweet and also spicy – the layers of flavour just keep coming.

Finish: Some toasty, sweet flavours linger. Lots of flavour, warmth in the medium to long finish.

Comments: “Taghta” translates in Gaelic to “The Chosen”. It’s the latest of Glenmorangie’s private edition releases, previous editions including the Companta and Ealanta. Like its forebears, it originates much like the Glenmorangie 10 year old, but is then extra matured in a Spanish Manzanilla Sherry cask (Manzanilla is a Spanish white sherry). The background to this expression is that Glenmorangie tried extra maturation of the 10 year old in three different types of barrels, then put it out to their loyal fans to choose which one they liked the most.  The one they chose (hence the name “Taghta”) was the Manzanilla cask. I actually rate this one better than the Companta, it’s a fantastic drop – I “choose” to have another one!

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Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Tasted at the Brass Monkey Hotel, $0 (courtesy of my mate Brett).

Colour: Light gold. Paler than I remember.

Nose: Subtle; sweet and woody.

Palate: Gentle spice, vanilla, sweet oaky flavours.

Finish: Hay-like sweet notes in the fade. A touch of liquorice. Not much heat at all.

Comments: Glenmorangie is probably my favourite distillery, and while I don’t usually drink their Original 10 year old (my go-to whisky is the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or, which will bookend this whole Whisky a Day project), it actually holds a pretty special place in my heart. You see it was when I first tasted the Glenmorangie Original at a university scotch and cigar night that my interest in whisky was piqued (check out the story here). So I guess you could say the Original is a great introduction to the world of whisky for those who haven’t tried much before!

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Glenmorangie Astar Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 57.10%. Tasted at The Aviary.

Colour: Pale gold, straw.

Nose: Slight oak, but very subtle. Not the sweetness of other Glenmorangie drams.

Palate: Salty apricot. Brett remarks that it’s a lot smoother than he first anticipated, yet it has a bit on his tongue. I’m not sure whether he’s talking about the whisky or the…

Finish: Quite dry, Dry dusty finish. A bit of spice and fire in the aftertaste, not as smooth as other Glenmorangies that I’ve come to love.

Comments: Bottled at the cask strength of 57.10%. Unmistakable Glenmorangie qualities, full flavoured and loads of spice.

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Glenmorangie Extremely Rare 18 Year Old Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.00%. Tasted at home, $120 (bottle).

Colour: A light golden hue.

Nose: Floral, sweet hay-like notes.

Palate: Silky smooth entry, oily mouthfeel. Oak and somewhat sweet fruity flavours. Less spice than other Glenmorangies.

Finish: Warmth gradually builds as the flavours start to fade. Medium-long finish.

Comments: A lot smoother than other Glenmorangie expressions, less oaky. I’ve always had a bottle of this kicking around in my collection for the past few years (needless to say, it’s not the same bottle – they don’t last that long!) and for good reason – I really like it. Great balance, both in terms of flavours and also heat. Absolutely no hesitation in ordering another bottle once this one is finished.

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Glenmorangie Ealanta Private Edition Single Malt. Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 46.00%. Tasted at home, $150 (bottle).

Colour: Deep lustrous golden bronze.

Nose: Lots of vanilla and oak. Hardly comes as a surprise given the Ealanta has spent 19 years maturing in virgin American oak barrels, but it is still a beautiful nose. Some chocolatey notes too.

Palate: Dryish earthy mouthfeel upon entry, but that is quickly forgotten as the flavour bomb explodes in your mouth. Toasted, spiced woody flavours, still a fair hit of vanilla but not as strong as in the nose. Creamy nutty flavours too.

Finish: The smooth oaky vanilla and spices just keep building, a long finish to really enjoy what is a fantastic dram.

Comments: In Jim Murray’s 2014 Whisky Bible, he rated the Glenmorangie Ealanta as World Whisky of the Year with a score of 97.5 out of 100. Needless to say, I was quite keen to taste it! Partly because of its reputation, but also because Glenmorangie would probably have to be my favourite distillery.

So did it live up to the hype? Yes and no. I love it and I’m very happy to have a bottle in my collection at home, especially sitting beside the Glenmorangie Companta which is also an amazing whisky. However for me, the Ealanta didn’t have that “wow” factor I was hoping for when trying the world’s best whisky, similar to the experience when tasting say the Glenrothes 1969 The MacPhail’s Collection. I guess when you’re judged the world’s best whisky it ensures that people have some pretty high expectations that may be a little hard to live up to. Nevertheless, highly recommended!