APPEARANCE
Golden, clear and relatively dark for a whisky matured in an ex-bourbon cask.
NOSE
Wow, a very complex bunch of fantastic and clear flavors hits my nose. Aromas of peach, apricot andpineapples alternate with oaky and creme brulee kind of flavors (vanilla and caramel). All that is layered with a whiff of bourbon sourness and oaky spices. A very intense, complex and delicious nose.
PALATE/TASTE
In spite of his 52.2% abv. it‘s not too spirituous – no tingling on the tongue. A creamy and watering mouth feel introduces the strong fruity and sweet flavors known from the nose. Even the subtle whiffs of bourbon sourness can be detected. Simply delicious and complex taste!
AFTERTASTE
The medium length aftertaste is dominated by peach, peach and once again peach… ok there are also some apricot and pineapple flavors, but the peach is all around. The fruity flavors are completed by the well known creme brulee aromas.
RESUME
Wow, what a dram … what a whisky … what a cask … One of the best Whiskys I‘ve ever tasted. Sweet, fruity, oaky and simply fantastic. It‘s a perfect example for Glanmorangie‘s famous wood finishing! This whisky was matured in one of Gelnmorangies so called ,designer casks‘, a cask type made of slow-grown and air-dried american oak which is seasoned and newly toasted.
The perfect and complex oaky flavors in this whisky are mixed up with the fruity distillery character. For me this whisky represents all the characteristics of the recent Glenmorangie style and is also a great example for the big influence of the wood.
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Oooh, nice that you want to explore the whisk(e)y world also. If you’d like some ideas from this side of the pond:Irish:As ietnmoned above, Bushmills Black Bush is decent, and widely availableRedbreast 12 Year Old is moving up a notch price wise, and is lovely, and if you want to add another 10 or 20 €$a3, try the 15 year old.Scotch-wise, some good suggestions already. I’d also add some of the Bowmore whiskies, some of which might fit the flavour profile you want (not really peaty or smokey):Bowmore EnigmaBowmore DarkestBowmore MarinerBladnoch are also nice (sipping the 18 year right now!) Just bought a Macallan 10 year (sherry cask aged), but haven’t tried it yet.Thing is, there’s so bloody many to try, it helps if you know someone who has a bit of a collection. That’s what I did. A mate here in Germany has a house like a whisky museum, so it was great for trying all sorts of whisky I’d never normally have gotten a chance to try. Now I have a small collection of ones I know I like, and a can buy couple of new ones now and again to explore a bit. Not as easy as with beer considering the prices, but it makes a nice change in pace. When do you start on the cigars?