Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 Year

Tonight's review is of an 2017 bottling of Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban 12 Yr single malt. ⠀ Distiller: Glenmorangie Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley Oak Type: 10 years in ex-bourbon casks, then 2 years in ruby port casks Age: 12 years Price Paid: $27 Background: This bottle came as part of a trio that included the Glenmorangie 10 and Lasanta that I reviewed previously. I had read a lot of praise about this bottle at the time and I definitely enjoy it more than the original Glenmo 10, but not enough to justify getting a bottle at full price.  I would be curious to see what the new 14 year version is like though if anyone wants to share 😉. ⠀ ⠀ 🥃 Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban - 46% ABV ⠀ Nose:  Started with bright red fruit and citrus.  Some caramel and nougat.  Opens up after a while with wafts of port:  prunes, rich stewed fruits, oak, and some perfumey notes.  ⠀ Palate:  Stewed dark fruit with a touch of orange, but not as intense as one would hope.  Though, compared to most 12 yr malts, it's very flavorful.  Notes of cherries, dates, cough medicince, oak, and some spices. It's much nicer than the Glenmo 10 but the Glenmo flavor is apparent. The texture is decent, but I would hope for more from this decadent style. The finish fades from the boozy cherry and red fruits to tannins and a little citrus. Overall, it's an interesting and enjoyable dram.  I am curious to try other Port finished drams and see how they compare.  It's quite flavorful for a 12 yr offering, but I could see it being somewhat polarizing.  I'm curious how the new 14 yr version is different. Thanks for reading. Cheers! ⠀ Rating Range: 79 - 84/100

NOSE Dried dark fruit, caramel, copper, vanilla taffy, Honey Nut Cheerios, cocoa and a touch of chalk, baked goods, and floral notes. It’s a warm, darkly sweet and rich velvety aroma. PALATE Sticky dried dark fruit, caramel, oak, roasted malt, cocoa, copper, dried orchard fruit, nuts and a bit of citrus peels and baking spice. Soft and fresh with a dark fruity and candy sweetness sweeping through and from time-to-time the flavors will combine and I think of Whoppers/Malteesers. FINISH Med-long -> Dried dark fruit, citrus peels, copper, baking spice fade out to oak.

I recently tried the Quinta Ruban 14 year, and I didn't like it; it was too bitter for my taste. But I'd heard that the Quinta Ruban 12 year was better, so when I saw a bottle collecting dust in a local liquor store, I thought I'd give it a try. Turns out that I like the Quinta Ruban 12 much more than the 14. The nose was sweet, like a dark chocolate or salted caramel. The palate, while not as sweet as the nose would suggest, was definitely not bitter. This is a very good sipping Scotch, but it's probably much harder to find after being replaced by the Quinta Ruban 14 year.

A- amber +1, high viscosity N- sweet ( honey, vanilla, toffee) fruity (banana, sultanas, baked apples) barley malt, oak P- Medium sweet/spicy/oaky arrival, medium full, a bit rough on the edges, sweet ( honey, vanilla, chocolate malt, caramel) fruity ( bananas, baked apples/pears), dry oak F- medium finish, sweet/oaky/dry after taste C- apparently this was replaced by the 14 YO Quinta Ruban (green label) not sure why is still available in Monterrey Mexico but it was nice to try it, not complex but enjoyable

Nose: Strong wine undertones from Port cask finish. Hints of fruits and smaller untertones of vanilla Palate: Cherry and grape flavors with some cinnamon. Hints of a wine flavor with sweetness and woodiness Finish: Slight bitter finish with stronger oak textures and flavor Notes: Stronger wine smell and tastes are unpleasant for me. Cherry notes are complex and enjoyable though

Upon second tasting, this one pulls ahead. The dryness of the port does not overwhelm the whisky. Far more complementary than the La Santa, we have in order: black cherry, Turkish delight, and then oak. The wine lends a sweetness better integrated with the base. Also the flavors increase as they go, forming a pyramidal shape. Better fit for a king’s burial.