Glenmorangie 18 Year

GLENMORANGIE SHOWDOWN Glenmorangie 10 Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban Port Cask Finish Glenmorangie 18 I was inspired to revisit some Glenmorangie following @DjangoJohnson’s review of the Glenmorangie 12 Lasanta Sherry Cask Finish a couple days ago. I don’t have a lot of experience with this producer, but I do have three bottles in my collection, so I decided to break those out. Glenmorangie 10 Color is a clear version of Pantone 130 (I have no affiliation with Pantone, but am using it in an attempt to achieve a little more visual precision). Muted nose (I came back to it 20 minutes later and it was still not showing; it reminds me of a wine in a “dumb” phase); I’d recalled honey and apricot but I’m not getting much of anything on the nose after a few minutes in the glass. The honey does show on the palate, with some glycerin mouthfeel. Vanilla commingles with some bitterness on the finish. Due to the “youthful” (for scotch whisky) 10-year age statement, I would not think this would be attributable to wood-sourced tannins. 43% ABV. Disappointingly simpler than I’d recalled; 3.0 on the Distiller scale—but a 3.0 that nevertheless I’d keep onhand. Glenmorangie 14 Quinta Ruban Port Cask Finish A crystal-clear Pantone 167 color; far darker than the 10-year-old expression, due to the aging in ruby port casks. Welcoming nose of chocolate covered cherries, candied ginger, brown sugar, and orange oil. Sweet palate entry, with a slightly viscous mouthfeel and dark caramelized sugar leading to a pleasant bitter note of café Cubano, dark orange, and white pepper on the medium-to-long finish. Typical 43% ABV very much kept in check. Non-chill filtered. 43% ABV. Wonderful, and better than I’d recalled. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. Glenmorangie 18 Pantone 138 in color. Nose emits braised peaches, white chocolate hazelnut cookies, cocoa, spearmint. Later, concord grape juice (a first for me). Sweet palate shows bittersweet chocolate and mulled apple cider. Some espresso bitterness on the finish, similar to the Quinta Ruban, along with some vanilla and lingering mild chiles. The bitterness, while pleasant, detracts from the smoothness often experienced with other 18-year-old whiskies. With air (more commonly stated when tasting wine), it does seem to acquire additional smoothness, and even sweetness. 43% ABV. Very nice, but not enough “wow” to break into the 4.0 class; 3.75 on the Distiller scale. The WOTN (whisky of the night) for me was the Quinta Ruban. Both the 10- and 18-year expressions showed worse than I’d remembered. But the wallet speaks the loudest: I’d definitely keep the Quinta Ruban on hand, as well as the 10-year; but I’m not sure about the 18. The gargantuan fancy packaging and “Extremely Rare” verbiage on that bottle is too suggestive, and amounts to more sizzle than steak. It has its merits, and is something of a “value” at around $120 for an 18-year-old whisky; certainly “nice to have,” but not a “must-have” (insofar as “must” is even applicable to a luxury such as a whisky collection). None of these are undesirable, and the Quinta Ruban is in fact quite desirable. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Glenmorangie 18 year old is bottled at 43% ABV. It sells for around $130. Glenmorangie 18 has fallen. A few years ago, when a coworker asked me for a Scotch recommendation for a bottle that is a little special, around $100, and something that he and his best men can enjoy for his wedding, I recommended Glenmo 18. It was a creamy, fruity, voluptuous dessert whisky that was, at the time, better than the similar Glenlivet 18 or the Glenfiddich 18. Alas, my most recent bottle of Glenmo 18 is sulfurous. With such a huge brand and such a ubiquitous expression, I doubt there is any batch variation. This is a shrug – a concession – surrendered to the festering state of today’s sherry casks. Bad sherry cask sulfur is not the sulfur of worm tub distillates. That sulfur is heavy, sinking into the liquid, and imbuing the whisky with a savory, heavy, meaty flavor. Bad sherry cask sulfur is a miasma that sits on top of the liquid and infects each sip with an odor of a rotting swamp. These whiskies are allowed to be bottled because perhaps most people drinking them claim to not be able to detect such odious notes. But I suspect most of these people are simply alcoholics. Did they fart in the bottle? That is the post-modern question when purchasing any sherry-influenced bottle today, especially those at a “competitive” price. Perhaps it is safer to buy bottles that are stupidly priced – the Macallan 18 sherry oak, the Octomore 13.2 – to satisfy your taste for sherry? Because, to pose more questions, is there any value in a whisky that smells like fart? Do I even need to talk about anything else about this whisky at all? Do you talk about what went well on a date when your date smells like fart? Smelling bad is smelling bad. The value of a bad smelling whisky is zero. A bad smelling whisky is not drinkable, and no tasting notes are needed. I will let this bottle “bottle-mature” for a year or two, because some say that the sulfur notes dissipate with time, but this has not been my experience. It’s a shame that I have to write this review for such a time-honored expression, but I have to put out the warning in this insane new world of terrible sherry-influenced whiskies.

N: Apple, peach, rich tobacco, menthol, baked pears in a crusty pie, hard swirl releases a cascade of fresh fruit notes - too many to differentiate even, pear candy, wet forest, mild tree bark, noticeable ethanol. P: Rich and rounded, caramel, cinnamon apple pie, pear custard, dried and maybe lightly smoked leaves (is this a little smoked?), vanilla candy, dried red fruit, earthy mineral notes, dark cocoa, freeze dried coffee. F: Fruity early, turns earthy and mineral, then hints of oak with bigger mint and dried herb notes, touch of ethanol burn, touch of oaky heat. Super good, but also a bit tame. It's more or less a straightforward Highland single malt, but with a few complications and a fair showing of age. I think, more to the point, I would say I've enjoyed this bottle, and would likely buy it again, but it doesn't engage me in a way that captures my wandering taste buds, even for a moment. Some whiskies do that - you want more right away. This isn't quite that good. But that's likely as much about my palate as it is about the scotch. If you haven't tried this, absolutely worth grabbing a bottle. _______________________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/4nfePCdyKM. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired - it shouldn't be - please post a comment and I will gladly and usually quickly provide a new one.)

Nose - Orchard fruits, honey, raisins, baked apples, poached pears Taste - Orchard fruits, candied oranges, bright red berries, raisins, honey, light bitter apple stem/seeds, ripe nectarines Finish - Charred sugar glaze, orchard fruits, poached pears Score - 88/100 Final Thoughts - So this one is actually quite enjoyable and where the typical bitter apple core/stem/seed notes aren't as distracting, but maybe that's due to the extra age on this one. This one isn't amazing, but it's quite well balanced and feels like a very nice summery pour. Relatively low proof at 43% but the flavor profile packs way above 43% and feels more like 48-50%. Very pleasant drinker and good flavors all around, nothing too overly complex. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - Maybe NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Thanks to a surprise from a friend, I’m picking up right where I left off with Glenmorangie. Although the “Extra Rare” label on its black box has been criticized by some, I found it quite appealing. Upon opening the elegant and unique box, you’re greeted by the iconic Glenmorangie bottle, holding a golden amber liquid. As soon as it’s poured into a glass, a sharp citrus aroma hits the nose. This is followed by sweet vanilla, and finally, a hint of chocolate awaits. During the tasting, a sour citrus note comes first, but it’s quickly followed by a wonderful sweetness. After swirling it around the palate for a bit, a sugary honey-like flavor begins to gently burn the throat. This long-lasting burn is followed by a warm sensation and a mildly spicy, woody aroma—together making Glenmorangie 18 an exceptional whisky.

Lately, I've been focusing more on whiskey than bourbon. I decided to go shopping and saw this on the shelf. It was the last one and I had to climb to grab it. The name and description sounded interesting so I pulled the trigger. Several pours in and I'm beyond satisfied with my decision. The aroma was fruity leaning more on the side of caramel and lemon meringue. What ensued flavor wise was quite delightful. Again I perceived a lemony character with a touch of pie crust. Undertones of honey and orange emerged as well towards the semi-long finish. The lower proof made sipping a breeze. So take heed, because multiple pours in an evening can definitely become a reality. This was my first experience from this distillery and quite the memorable one.