Glenmorangie A Tale of the Forest

A Tale of Winter was a fun one, so I figured I’d give this a go next. Here we’ve got a whisky that was “crafted from barley kilned with Woodland botanicals.” That’s definitely a first. Glenmorangie has flown under the radar with some pretty inventive and intriguing limited release bottlings over the years. Let’s hope this is one of them. Nose: An explosion of dried apricot, walnut, and toasted almond. Cashew as well. Shortbread cookie and vanilla for sting. It reminds me more of an Irish nose than a Scotch. Honey and toffee. Roasted chestnut. Vanilla and caramel. Some pear and apricot in there. Fig and date. Cranberry. It’s pretty boozey. Palate: Here is where those juniper notes really come out in full force. Some strong blackberry/jam behind that. Raspberry as well. Vanilla, caramel, and toffee. Milk chocolate. Orange citrus. Golden raisin. Apricot. Almond, cashew, and walnut. Sugar cookie. Finish: Raspberry and blackberry. Heavy wintergreen. Toffee, vanilla, caramel. Orange citrus. Cinnamon, white pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Moderate-long finish. This is an abrasive whiskey. And I like abrasive whiskies, don’t get me wrong. But this features a lot of astringent notes. There’s just a lack of balance and a chemical-like sharpness that detracts from what I think was an interesting concept. At $100, I wouldn’t quite say this was worth the cost of entry. Not a bad whisky by any means, but it didn’t fulfill its creators ambitions. Maybe this just needed more time in the barrel. Or maybe the concept was doomed to yield an imbalanced product. Cool idea, middling result. 3.25/5.

Lately the whisky industry giants, Glenmorangie, have released a series of expressions, that tell a tale. The first one was "A tale of Cake" and the second one was "A tale of Winter"; both great single malts that achieved their goal to taste as marketed. Well, the turn has arrived for "A tale of Forest", a slightly peated dram that should resemble a forest experience. This one has been done by kilning the barley with some peat and also some herbs and woodland botanicals to develop the profile that Dr. Bill Lumdsen was looking for. Bottled at 46%abv, golden color. On the nose, it started with nice aroma notes of wet moss, earthy peat. It is quite aromatic. Heather; moor, plastic and foam. It smells like a rainforest. On the palate it is a little dim, with a vanilla watery note, mud and orange peel. It manages to barely pass the test. Aftertaste is grassy. Burnt hay, Aromatic incense. It feels like you can bite the the herbal sensation here. Ginger. Overall, even if this is not the best whisky in the world, not even close; i have to give my respects to Glenmorangie. It tastes exactly as marketed, like a forest. That means that the three expressions that have been released from this collection have achieved what they offered, to tell you a tale of cake, winter and forest. I truly believe that my score system is not been too fair here since it tells me this is an 85 over 100, but it surely feels like an 87-88. Well, my score system has been generous before, now it is a little unfair. It is what it is. Sláinte!

Nose: opens with an initial funky peat that immediately gives way to a roaring birchwood bonfire. A hint of juniper. Slight fragrant eucalyptus. Moderately leathery. Palate: an initial heat, fragrant and floral. Tastes like a forest floor undergrowth campfire in the late winter/early spring rain. A little young/hot malt. Caramel and a bit of sweet vanilla. Juniper comes through as it transitions to finish. A bit of agave? Finish: a bit warm, a bit peaty, and a nice tannic oak.

Tasted in a Whisky-Shop: Very nice design of the case and the bottle! Looks pretty. Nose: herbs and some vanilla, first I thought I smell some sherry - but I think they didn‘t use sherry-casks … so must have been my fantasy. Palate: some sweetness, but also slight bitterness, briny - ok! Finish: medium, warm This is certainly an ok and well made dram, and I would drink it with pleasure when offered (and it was!). But I didn‘t buy the bottle.

NOSE Earthy malt, herbal honey, dried fruit, roasted nuts, waxy candy, and a light bit of smoke. The name is perfect, this has a rich earthy and woodsy aroma; it’s wonderful. PALATE Caramel, earthy malt, herbal honey, smoke, vanilla cake, waxy candy, and a light nutty note. Warm and dryly earthy with a light herbal note running through. Again, it’s just wonderful. FINISH Long -> Caramel, earthy malt, smoke, and spice.

The last time I had this it seemed like a perfect summer pour, a chardonnay of whiskey. -A great nose with honey and sweet tobacco. -A crisp palate with that bright Glenmorangie malt, but with slight undertones of peat, juniper (gin), and pine. It's a beautiful balance, evoking an inviting forest.