Tag Archives: glenmorangie

Glenmorangie Tarlogan Review

Glenmorangie Tarlogan – Distiller: Glenmorangie. Region: Highlands. ABV: 43%. No age statement. Price: $110.

And just like that, we’re into December. A month of joy, togetherness, and the first McDram family trip to Scotland. And it couldn’t come any sooner, as I’m down to the last dregs of my favorite whisky of 2017, the Glenmorangie Tarlogan.

Initially launched as part of the distillery’s travel retail market (which means I can only get it while traveling in that neck of the woods), the Glenmorangie Tarlogan is matured in a combination of virgin oak and ex-bourbon casks.

Given that it’s a no-age-statement whisky and bottled at only 43% ABV, skepticism at the high price tag is understandable. And to be honest, there are moments when I question my whisky judgment. But when I saw Brendan McCarron, GlenMo’s head of maturing whisky stocks, this past summer, he said his own favorite GlenMo of the year was the Tarlogan. When Dr. Bill’s heir apparent gives it that kind of stamp, I know I’m on to something.

To paraphrase the Sex Pistols, never mind the bollocks, here comes the review. There’s a lovely, creamy vanilla full on the nose, but so much more. A delicate caramel slow tangoes with honied almonds and a bit of marzipan. It’s the rare nose that has me dying to dive in.

The palate has chocolate and honey, which brings to mind the best Cadbury bars. There’s also spice and a peppery nutmeg, along with splashes of cinnamon.

Then there’s the finish. Dark cherry gelato, rich walnuts, and a lovely buttery caramel. I mean, thank the whisky gods I’m going back to the old country soon, because I can still taste the remnants.

I’m not usually one to pay more than a Ben Franklin for a whisky, but in a few weeks, I’ll gladly hand over the cash for another bottle of this gem. Happy Christmas, and cheers, friends! – TM

Glenmorangie Astar Review and Relaunch

Glenmorangie Astar – Distiller: Glenmorangie. Region: Highlands. ABV: 52.5%.  No age statement. Price: $90-100.

The relaunch of the Glenmorangie Astar hit Los Angeles in high style this month, with Dr. Bill Lumsden–GlenMo Director of Distilling & Whisky Creation–hosting a dinner and tasting at the Moet Hennessy House in the hills above West Hollywood.

Glenmorangie Astar

Glenmorangie has quite a robust lineup. It ranges from the Original 10-Year-Old, which provides the based for just about every other release, to wine-finished staples like the Nectar D’Or and Quinta Ruban, to limited Special Editions like the Milsean and Artein, up to the luscious 18-Year-Old and NAS masterpiece Signet.

If the Original is heart of the Glenmorangie line, the Astar is the heart of the heart–the purest expression of what defines the distillery.

The Original is defined by brightness, silkiness, elegance, and a balance of fruit and floral notes that Dr. Bill attributes to two things: the unusual height of Glenmorangie’s stills, and their cask selection.

Dr. Bill Lumsden

The Original uses a certain proportion of GlenMo’s so-called “designer casks,” made from slow-growth Missouri oak, chosen for porousness, seasoned for 2-3 years in the open air, charred, filled with Jack Daniels for 4 years, then dumped and shipped to GlenMo.

The Astar uses 100% of these “designer casks.” It’s also bottled at 52.5% ABV, adding to the intensity. (The first Astar was bottled at 57% ABV, but Dr. Bill felt the extra heat did more to obscure the whisky than reveal it.) All in all, Dr. Bill’s description of it as “Glenmorangie Original on steroids” is apt.

On to the tasting!

Glenmorangie Moet Hennessy HouseThe nose has pear, green apple, marzipan, orange peel, candied banana, coconut milk, and light toasted oak. For my money, it’s a bit closed at full strength, but comes alive with a few drops of water. Faint cacao nibs. Toasted almonds.

On the palate, both the fluffy vanilla and the juicy fruit notes bloom. Blood orange, ripe pear, pineapple. Fresh coconut. Over time, a pleasant toastiness emerges.

The finish is long and robust, with spice leading the way–lemon pepper, ground ginger, lemon rind–before a wisp of cotton candy at the end.

I frequently hear from whisky lovers who lament the proliferation of wine cask finishes, and yearn for purer manifestations of their favorite distilleries: straight ex-bourbon cask maturation, high ABV, no funny business. There are lots of wine-finished whiskies I love–including from GlenMo–but it’s a beautiful thing to have so pure a manifestation of GlenMo’s core character.

It takes time and patience to appreciate the nuance of Astar, but it’s worth the effort.

Slàinte, friends! – BO

Glenmorangie graciously provided a sample for review. As always, our opinions are 100% our own.

Glenmorangie Distillery Tour & British Open Championship

In July 2017, Thane had the opportunity to travel to Scotland with Glenmorangie for the British Open Championship–and a very memorable private tour and tasting at the Glenmorangie distillery.

Some guys have all the luck…

Glenmorangie 10

July 19. The Axis would be nothing without all of you who have supported us, engaged with us, helped us. So it’s only fitting that we invite you guys on one of our greatest adventures yet. Starting Thursday, I’ll be doing posts, stories, images from Glenmorangie and its work at the British Open. It’s nothing that we ever imagined when we started the Axis, and this opportunity is due to all of you. Thank you for all you’ve done, and join us as we go on this journey with Glenmorangie.

Glenmorangie lineup

July 21. It was a long, practically epically long, journey to get here, but man, was it worth it. The opening night offered tastings of the entire Glenmorangie range, more than a few Ardbegs, and a personal tasting of the Glenmorangie Signet, which will have a full review later on today. Friends, this is all due to you, and I’ll strive to do you proud in our coverage of the event. Happy Friday and cheers!

Glenmorangie distillery

July 22. Since 1843, the Glenmorangie distillery has been producing some of the most balanced, innovative whiskies in the business. The approach to distilling is both classic–as evidenced by their ability to discern when a cask of the flagship Glenmorangie 10 is appropriate for use in extra-matured whiskies–and constantly innovative, such as their decision to grow their own oak for use in speciality casks. It’s an approach that melds respect for what’s always worked with an insistent need to discover what may work in the future. I’ve always enjoyed learning more about the process of the various whiskies, but this visit has been both highly enjoyable and highly informative. Check back later for a live story from the final day of the British Open. Cheers, one and all!

Glenmorangie cask

July 22. If there’s anything I learned about Glenmorangie during this tip, it’s that the distillery thrives by balancing experimentation and persistence. The Glenmorangie Signet, the 2016 World Whisky of the Year, is a fine example. The no-age-statement whisky is based on the use of heavily roasted chocolate malt, which Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden insisted GlenMo could make work. He was right. It’s matured in casks made from Missouri oak that’s air dried for two years before the liquid ever touches the inside. The result is a whisky unlike any I’ve had.

Glenmorangie Signet

There’s chocolate-covered ginger on the nose, along with barley, roasted coffee beans, and vanilla. It brings to mind walks I used to take through the fields at my uncle’s farm. There’s more ginger in the palate, but it’s more akin to ginger snaps. It melds beautifully with a rich vanilla and caramel that brings to mind a creme brûlée. Whisks of coconut dance along as well, and there’s a lovely stout note that increases with a splash of water.

The finish is stunning. Long, sustained, rich. The stout remains at the forefront, but by the end, there’s a glorious caffè corretto experience that makes me laugh with joy. These folks love the process and it shows in the result. Cheers, friends!

Glenmorangie tasting

July 23. I won’t pretend that my golf game is on point. I won’t claim to know much about the game period. And while I know a touch about whisky, I’ve never had a tasting like the one that Brendan McCarron gave us today while watching the final round of the British Open. Cask strength pours of the first- and second-fills that, when combined, create the classic Glenmorangie 10.

The first-fill has elements on the nose and palate of a seaside port town, where the twirls of candy and roasted meat meld with the tang of the sea. All that and more with the second-fill, including pear, spice, rich butterscotch. When you add water, there’s a lovely float of coconut.

At Brendan’s suggestion, we mixed the first- and second-fill to create a quite close approximation of the cask strength GlenMo 10 that we may never get. Fellow whisky nerds, this has been among the pinnacles of my experiences in the whisky worlde. Oh, and golf was being played. As I write this, Jordan Speith may be about to blow another major lead. Ah, golf. – TM

Glenmorangie Signet Review

Distiller: Glenmorangie. Region: Highlands. ABV: 46%. No age statement. Price: $150-200.

My journey from Chicago to the Glenmorangie Distillery was of near-epic length, but man, was it worth it. The opening night of my trip to cover the British Open at Glenmorangie’s invitation offered tastings of the entire Glenmorangie range, more than a few Ardbegs, and a personal tasting of the Glenmorangie Signet.

If there’s anything I learned about Glenmorangie during this tip, it’s that the distillery thrives by balancing experimentation and persistence. The Glenmorangie Signet, the 2016 World Whisky of the Year, is a fine example. The no-age-statement whisky is based on the use of heavily roasted chocolate malt, which Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden insisted GlenMo could make work. He was right.

It’s matured in casks made from Missouri oak that’s air dried for two years before the liquid ever touches the inside. The result is a whisky unlike any I’ve had.

There’s chocolate-covered ginger on the nose, along with barley, roasted coffee beans, and vanilla. It brings to mind walks I used to take through the fields at my uncle’s farm.

There’s more ginger in the palate, but it’s more akin to ginger snaps. It melds beautifully with a rich vanilla and caramel that brings to mind a creme brûlée. Whisks of coconut dance along as well, and there’s a lovely stout note that increases with a splash of water.

The finish is stunning. Long, sustained, rich. The stout remains at the forefront, but by the end, there’s a glorious caffè corretto experience that makes me laugh with joy.

These folks love the process and it shows in the result. Cheers, friends! – TM

Buy Glenmorangie whisky online from Mash + Grape

Glenmorangie Artein

Distiller: Glenmorangie. Region: Highlands. ABV: 46%. Age: 15 years. Price: $80/auction.

Released in 2011, the Glenmorangie Artein is the third release of the Glenmorangie Private Edition series. It’s a rich blend of 21- and 15-year-old whisky finished in Super Tuscan Sassicaia wine barrels.

The Artein has a lot of depth and complexity, which makes it one of my favorites among the Private Editions. Loads of sweet berries and peppermint are on the nose. The palate is creamy with notes of peach cobbler, vanilla, honey, spice and shaved milk chocolate. The sweet finish has just the right amount of warmth and length.

If you come across an old bottle of this, definitely snatch it up. Cheers! – JTR

Valentine’s Day Gifts for Whisky Lovers

All right, guys and gals. It’s around the corner, and flowers and chocolates aren’t going to cut it.

For the whisky-lover in your life, we’ve got three can’t-miss gift picks. And if your beloved isn’t already a whisky-lover, these should make one out of them.

Bruichladdich Wee Laddie Tasting Collection

Three core offerings from one our favorite Islay distilleries, and one of our favorite distilleries, period. This tasting pack includes 200 ml bottles of Bruichladdich’s Classic Laddie, Islay Barley, and Port Charlotte Scottish Barley. A great introduction to the one of the most interesting distilleries out there, and a great preview for a row of exciting Spring 2017 releases coming from Bruichladdich’s new head distiller Adam Hannett. (More on both soon.)

Available at most well-stocked retailers who carry Bruichladdich, and online here.

Benromach Tripack Gift Set

Are you noticing a theme here? Benromach is a tiny Speyside distillery owned by Gordon & MacPhail, making “1960s style” (very lightly peated) malts that for me are old-school in all the best ways. This gift set has 200 ml bottles of their flagship 10-year-old single malt, their Peat Smoke, and their Organic bottling. (Our reviews here.)

This may be the trickiest of our picks to find, but if you happen to be in the L.A. area, they’re frequently carried by our friends at Bar Keeper in the Silverlake neighborhood.

Glenmorangie Collection Gift Pack

Last but not least, a fine introduction and/or refresher from a staple distillery for any single malt-lover: Glenmorangie. This pack has 100 ml bottles of four core offerings from the honeyed Highlander: the Original, the LaSanta, the Quinta Ruban, and the Nectar D’Or. For those who like the sweeter side.

Widely available at better liquor stores.

Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours, friends! Slàinte! – BO