Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Ten Year (2005)

Glenmoranige Ten Year (now Original) has been a staple of the distillery's lineup longer than any other on offer right now. And in contrast to the sometimes complex and esoteric cask manipulations they have become known for, the it is a un-fussy construction of ex-bourbon casks and nothing else. There have been some changes as the experiments with bourbon casks that led to the original Astar have been incorporated into makeup, but the basic formula has remained the same.

This whisky is bottled at 43%, probably with chill filtration and maybe with coloring.

Thanks to Michael Kravitz for the sample.

Glenmorangie Ten Year (2005)

Nose: classic Glenmo malt, moderate but not obtrusive oak, light woody caramel, gently floral, a little orange creamsicle. After adding a few drops of water it becomes more aromatic/herbal/floral with bolder malt.

Taste: malt and oak sweetness up front, fairly constant oak with a tannic edge from the middle back, floral/citrus/apple/pear overtones in the middle, bittersweet near the end, citrus/berry undertones throughout. After dilution it is similar but more oily and with stronger malt character.

Finish: berries, oak, malt, caramel, floral, vanilla ice cream

Much as with the Glenfiddich 12 Year I reviewed recently, the most remarkable thing about this whisky is how consistent it is with the current releases. Glenmorangie's stocks were presumably deeper a dozen years ago, but my impressions have remained fairly consistent over the years. While I'm not always a fan of Bill Lumsden's work, he has managed to make a solid whisky at a solid price that doesn't change in quality. My personal guess is that this is easier for whiskies that are more spirit-driven than ones requiring more cask influence, but it's still an accomplishment.