Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Vertical Tasting Revisited

The very first whisky review I ever wrote was about Glenmorangie's Original and Extra Matured expressions. I had stumbled upon the Discovery Pack, which contained a full bottle of the Original and miniature bottles of the EM whiskies. A good review from John Hansell and a reasonable price convinced me to take the plunge. The rest, as they say, is history (and an abundance of single malt in my liquor cabinet).

So last summer when I noticed that 4x100 mL packs of the same whiskies were available for sale in Oregon, I snapped one up. I had been interested in re-tasting the whiskies to see how my palate had changed over the intervening year and a half. While they absolutely blew me away at first, I wasn't sure if I would hold them in the same esteem after trying dozens of other single malts since then. So I did a couple of tasting sessions - here are the results.

Glenmorangie Original

Nose: very cleanly malty, honey and caramel, floral, jammy berries, vanilla, grain, sugar cookies. After adding a few drops of water, the sugar cookie dough becomes a bit more raw, more vanilla comes out, the floral notes become more grassy, and some grape fruitiness emerges.

Taste: a sour citrus punch up front that fades towards the back, which slowly shifts towards honey sweet malt with sugar cookies, vanilla, and light oak, fading out with green floral notes, lemon peel and pith, cacao and coffee beans. After dilution, the palate becomes more integrated, with the sweetness fading more quickly into tannic oak and black pepper with a sour tinge.

Finish: lightly bitter oak, with pepper, floral malt, and vanilla

Bottled at 43%, this whisky makes a fantastic introduction to the world of single malt whisky, presenting its flavors clearly without being overwhelming. This one changed the least for me, retaining its pleasantly light and malty character. I could drink it just about any day of the week and be perfectly happy with my choice. Glenmorangie's spirit seems to excel with a light touch from ex-bourbon barrels, accenting the spirit without squashing the underlying spirit. I can understand why people might move on from this after getting a handle on the basic character of single malt whisky, but it's a lovely one to keep coming back to.

Glenmorangie Lasanta

Nose: heavy sherried fruit, vanilla, light nougat, bubblegum, almond skins, rather dry, dark chocolate, slightly savory oloroso notes, malt sweetness underneath struggling to get out, a little floral and funky. After adding a few drops of water, the malt got a bit more strength and became somewhat nutty, the sherry became more recognizably oloroso, it became more savory overall, and the nougat popped out more, and some mint emerged.

Taste: moderately sweet with a little sourness up front, definite sherry presence, something nutty, then black pepper and oak tannins, a hint of chocolate at the back, and subtle floral malt underneath everything. After dilution, it became more integrated, with more balance between creamy malt and sherry sweetness, which fades into sherry/tannin bittersweetness, light creamy nougat, mint overtones, and pink bubblegum.

Finish: savory oak tannins and dried fruit, with some floral malt, mint, and chocolate.

It's a shame, but this whisky just feels out of kilter. The heavy blanket of sherry seems awkward, ill at ease with the lightly floral base malt. While the malt hasn't been completely smothered, it has to fight to make itself shine through. This seems contradictory to the Glenmorangie formula. I will admit that it gets a bit more balanced with water, though the nose loses so much intensity that it doesn't seem like a worthwhile trade-off. I think the ideal would be something more like Aberlour 12 Year - blending together ex-bourbon casks with ex-sherry casks to let each component shine while making a more harmonious whole. The cask finishing strategy is too heavy-handed for Glenmorangie's malt. More broadly, it's interesting to see how this has gone from being my favorite of the bunch to last in line.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

Nose: very rich, sweet wine notes over malt, lots of raspberries and blackberries, some cacao and cinnamon, floral around the edges. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes muted, with some creamy nougat, diffuse sweetness, fresh wood, more prominent cinnamon, malt, and berry compote.

Taste: integrated port, berry, and malt notes with black pepper up front, bittersweet overall with a lot of creaminess, slides into bitter almonds, tannins, and a burst of red berries at the back alongside some cacao/chocolate. After dilution, it becomes thinner but creamier, with less well-defined flavors, the oak tannins and pepper notes become more prominent but get a certain mustiness, and the chocolate notes become a little artificial like chocolate sauce.

Finish: tannic, port, a hint of malt and pepper, chocolate

Much like port wine itself, this is very much a dessert dram. Lots of berry sweetness, which is just held in check by pepper and oak. I feel like I have to be in the right mood to fully appreciate this one. While it hasn't completely overwritten the classic Glenmorangie malt and floral notes, the port cask comes in with a pretty heavy hand as well. Either using refill port casks or a bit less time might give it a more balanced and less cask-driven character, which I would be easier for me to appreciate. With all that said, the biggest flaw is how much it falls apart with water. I only add three drops and all of a sudden it's an incoherent mess. For being bottled at a very respectable 46%, it just drowns at the slightest provocation. Getting the most out of this whisky requires leaving it alone.

Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or

Nose: wine, toasted French oak, sweet floral raisins, a hint of malt, honey, caramel, vanilla cream soda, wildflowers, and orange peel. After adding a few drops of water, there is much more floral malt, wine integrates and retreats a bit, gobs of vanilla come out, and there are cinnamon and French oak notes.

Taste: citrus notes throughout, syrupy sweet up front, then big French oak spice in the middle, lots of underlying malt, light wine tannins at the back with bittersweet chocolate. After dilution, it becomes more integrated and bittersweet overall.

Finish: light oak tannins, a bit of sour wine/fruit, cinnamon, some residual malt

"When vice becomes virtue..." This was my least favorite of the bunch the first time I tried these whiskies, because it didn't seem to offer much on top of the basic formula of the Original. Now that seems like a plus rather than a minus. Unlike the other finishes, the sauternes casks seem to augment the Glenmorangie template - malt, floral notes, and fruit - without overwhelming it. There are wine notes and it is noticeably sweeter than the original, but it doesn't go off the rails. I also really like what the French oak brings with it, though I'd be even happier with a straight new French oak cask finish minus the wine to get something like Glenlivet French Oak or Compass Box Spice Tree. I feel like that would more cleanly integrate with the spirit.

To sum up, with the exception of the Original, my opinions have more or less flipped. Sherry is out, port is still somewhere in the middle, and sauternes is on top. Overall, I think the lesson is that I'm now less interested in wine casks being the dominant player in a whisky - I'd much rather they act as accents on the fundamental malt flavors. Hopefully I can come back to these again in another couple of years for another spot-check.

Whisky Review: Compass Box Peat Monster

Compass Box is one of the most innovative companies in the business today, weaving together whiskies from any number of different distilleries to create new blends and blended malts. I've looked at one of their lighter whiskies, Oak Cross, which displays both John Glaser's ability to blend single malts and his creative use of wood. Today I'm looking at another blended malt - Peat Monster - which is about 180º from the sweetness and light of Oak Cross.

Peat Monster is put together from a blend of a number of different peated whiskies (no surprise there) from Caol Ila and Laphroaig on the island of Islay, Ledaig from the Island of Mull, and Ardmore in the Speyside region of the Highlands. All come from refill ex-bourbon casks, which means that the focus on the malt itself, rather than the influence from the oak. Each single malt brings different characteristics to the final product, but as the name suggests, the main goal is peat. As with all whiskies from Compass Box, this one is bottled without chill filtration or color and is water down only to 46%, which leaves it with plenty of punch.

Compass Box Peat Monster

Nose: lots of green peat, wood ash, eucalyptus/tea tree oil, slightly sour, solvent-y, malty, some floral vanilla underneath, overripe fruit, savory notes, a hint of salt and toasted oak. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes a bit lighter, with the peat shifting firmly into an ashy rather than vegetal mode and integrating with the oak, it's more balanced with a bigger dose of malt and vanilla, plus some cinnamon and hay come out.

Taste: sweet malt up front with a bit of vanilla, followed by a wave of black pepper and ashy/vegetal peat, with the malt returning at the end along with a bit of cinnamon. After dilution, it becomes less sweet and more savory, with the peat becoming all ashy and merging with the black pepper notes alongside more oak tannins.

Finish: tangy, savory, peppery peat, lightly malty with vanilla, bittersweet, rubber

This one really does live up to its name. While the malt doesn't completely disappear and the characteristic vanilla of Compass Box whiskies from marrying the components in first-fill ex-bourbon casks is present, this really is all about the peat. While not as in your face as some peaty single malts, it doesn't feel as balanced as it could be. Maybe more time in the marrying casks or a bit of something with less peat to give it a bit more sweetness. Some of this can be achieved by adding water, but it still doesn't sit quite right with me. As Tim noted over at Scotch & Ice Cream, it's not bad, it's just not something that I would pick over any number of comparably priced peated single malts right now.

Whisky Review: Tobermory 10 Year (Non-Chill Filtered)

Tobermory is the only distillery on the Isle of Mull, located in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, directly across the Firth of Lorn from Oban, and north of the islands of Islay and Jura. The distillery was founded in 1798 (as is repeatedly pointed out in their new bottle designs), one of the few remaining distilleries that were opened before the 1823 Excise Act that legalized distilling. Originally known as Ledaig, the distillery had an extremely rough history before falling into the hands of Burn Stewart in the early 1990s. Since then things have been a bit more stable, including a recent major refresh of their whiskies, which are now all bottled at 46.3% ABV without chill filtration. To make things a little confusing, they sell two different single malts - their whisky made from unpeated malt is bottled as Tobermory and their whisky made from heavily peated malt is bottled as Ledaig (I've got a bottle of the 10 Year and will be reviewing it later).

Tobermory 10 Year

Nose: alcohol is noticeable, berries, floral vanilla perfume, fresh malt, toasted oak, green vegetation (peat, herbs, foliage, pine) and fruits (apples, pears), baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg). After adding a few drops of water, it becomes a bit more savory, with malt and fruit dominating to produce sugar cookie notes plus the addition of a bit of coffee, chocolate, and something nutty.

Taste: an interplay of sweet/sour/bitter, sweet malt up front with a bit of sour grape juice, a floral dash mid-palate and into the finish, flowing into bittersweet berries and dried fruit (raisins/figs/dates), vanilla, and oak, with a sour tinge throughout. After dilution it becomes sweeter throughout, with more fruit and berries up front and a healthy dose of pepper and ginger near the back,

Finish: floral sour malt, dried fruit (dates?) a touch of chocolate, light toasted oak, black pepper, slightly vegetal (herbal/minty)

While I enjoyed this whisky, I feel like it comes with a few caveats. The largest is that it took a while for me to feel like it had a coherent direction. For being bottled at relatively high strength and being blended together from all first-fill bourbon casks, the flavors were surprisingly restrained at first. This was ameliorated with time - there was much more clear bourbon barrel influence after I had drained about half the bottle, so letting it sit for a while after popping the cork may help. But it wasn't a particularly compelling experience at the start, which made it hard to wade through to get to a point where it became more interesting.

At this point, having just about drained the bottle, I would liken it to a bourbon barrel Glenfarclas - malt-driven, fruity and floral, but without the layer of sherry one finds in regular 'Farclas releases. If it had been like that to begin with, I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it. It has great balance and I appreciate the distillery sticking with nothing but ex-bourbon casks instead of fussing around with finishes. But the first half of the bottle felt like a bit of a slog getting to that point. So I will give it a provisional thumbs up. Probably worth seeing if you can try a dram at a bar first before springing for an entire bottle.

On Blogging and Taking a Break

As some of my regular readers may have noticed, I haven't been posting for about a month. Around the end of March I felt my motivation to keep up a regular posting schedule slacking. By the beginning of April I just gave up entirely. While I had plenty of things to say, the desire to get them written up just wasn't there.

So I decided to take a break. It's been kind of liberating for the last month or so to focus on drinking because I felt like having a drink, rather than picking things with an eye towards cranking out enough posts. I took a few pictures of cocktails and then just took a pass on writing any tasting notes. They were, pretty much without exception, tasty cocktails that would have been good to share, but I just couldn't seem to be bothered. I've also been continuing my quest to knock down my stock of open bottles and have finally reached the point where I've made a pretty good dent in it. I even made it through an entire bottle of single malt whisky without writing a post, which was honestly kind of nice (and turned out to be for the better because the second half of the bottle was better than the first half). Because of all that, I shuffled around my liquor cabinet a bunch of fill up and make better use of the space.

At the same time, I've been having some great conversations via social media. Twitter and Facebook continue to be full of people who enjoy talking about booze and I've happily dived into some extended conversations, which has mostly satisfied my desires.

With all that said, I'm finally feeling the urge to start writing again. There are some good posts in the works that I'm looking forward to talking about. I think I'll start slow, but it feels like the right time to start flexing my writing muscles again.

New Cocktails: One Eyed Jack

One of my friends recently posted a picture of a mini-menu from the West Side Lounge in Boston. They're starting a weekly Twin Peaks evening and made a set of cocktails specifically for it. The one I decided to make myself is named after the brothel in the TV show - the drink certainly is dangerous.

One Eyed Jack
1.5 oz applejack
0.75 oz Chartreuse
0.75 oz rye whiskey
1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients, stir with ice for fifteen seconds, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

The nose is dominated by the Chartreuse, but remains fairly balanced, with the applejack's fruit and rye whiskey's grain making themselves known. The sip begins with moderate sweetness, with apples coming in early, followed by herbal notes from the Chartreuse and spice from the rye and bitters, then leaving with bittersweet apples.

Since all I had to begin with were the ingredients, I modeled the proportions on the Widow's Kiss, substituting rye whiskey for the Bénédictine. Since it was going to be a lot less sweet that way, I back off on the bitters to keep things in balance. It's surprisingly smooth and easy going for being a cocktail made entirely with high-proof spirits. It works out well since the two spirits compliment different aspects of the Chartreuse, combing together in a beautiful melange.

The Mysteries of Diageo, Part I

Diageo is, without a doubt, the biggest spirits company in the world. While they have their fingers in many pies (Smirnoff, Bailey's, Guinness, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Bushmills, etc.), I'm going to focus on their scotch whisky holdings right now.

Diageo owns over a quarter of all the active malt whisky distilleries in Scotland as well as two of the   six active grain whisky distilleries (they used to own three, but shut one down recently). Additionally, they own the majority of the whisky from a number of distilleries that they closed back in the 1980s. Which is all to say that they exert an enormously powerful influence over the whisky industry.

However, Diageo has a rather peculiar relationship with their malt whisky distilleries in particular. Representatives of the company have made clear that they really don't care about malt whisky - it seems likely that they would do away with single malt bottlings if they could. Why? Because the money makers for Diageo are their blended whiskies - primarily Johnnie Walker, but including quite a number of other lesser known brands. Grain whisky is significantly cheaper to produce that malt whisky. This means that every bottle being made into single malt could conceivably provide them with greater margins by being diluted into a blended whisky.

This can be clearly seen in the recent shifts in the Johnnie Walker lineup. Basically, the one blended malt (made up of single malt whiskies with no grain whisky) - JW Green - is getting the axe, along with  one of their age dated blends - JW Gold (which seems to be going downhill anyway). Replacing their previous offerings are the NAS Gold Label Reserve (gotta love that marketing department confusion) and Platinum Label - which will have the same age date as the old Gold Label, but for $30+ more. From Diageo's perspective, this is nothing but win. They get more flexibility for their mid-range blend (Black Label will still have a 12 YO age date and the Platinum will be 18 YO) and charge more for their 18 YO whisky.

But wait a minute - this doesn't entirely square with their actual actions. Most glaring, Oban is allowed to allocate all of their production to single malts - famously not a drop goes into blends. Secondly, Diageo has actually been expanding their single malt offerings, at least at the margins, in recent years. Admittedly most are presented as limited edition/premium offerings - unpeated malt and several varieties of cask strength whisky from Caol Ila, younger cask strength Lagavulin, Talisker Storm, and a regular stream of Distiller's Editions (extra maturation in various types of ex-sherry casks) from a broad range of their distilleries. While the company does seem to be trying to squeeze every dollar they can out of the single malt whisky market, both by increasing prices on their premium bottles (the latest allocation of Talisker 18 jumped from $90 to $150 recently) and putting out more NAS whiskies (the aformentioned cask strength offerings from Caol Ila), they still seem strangely willing to put out new single malts instead of funneling every single drop towards blends. If Diageo really has so much antipathy about their single malts, why bother at all?

The best theory I can come up with is that when you end up with a company as big as Diageo, not every part of the business will be moving in lock-step. A lot of the people involved with the malt whisky distilleries probably have a lot of fondness for the business and would like to see it survive. They will fight to keep those distilleries alive.

The problem is that there's no guarantee those people will continue to keep Diageo's single malt whisky production going. As a publicly traded company, Diageo's first duty is to its shareholders - blends make them more money and they care most about the bottom line. If the whisky bubble ever pops, where will their single malts stand? The mass closures of the early 1980s suggest that Diageo has no compunctions about taking sweeping decisions when it comes to their distilleries. Which is all to say that my greatest feeling about them is uncertainty. Their public statements leave me with zero confidence that their single malt whiskies will be around for the long haul, which is an incredible shame given that they own some of the finest distilleries in Scotland. Only time will tell.

Whisky Review: Auchentoshan Vertical Tasting

Auchentoshan is one of the few remaining Lowland distilleries and the only one to still exclusively use triple distillation. Its location just outside the Glasgow city limits also makes it one of the easiest whisky distilleries to visit.

The distillery was founded in 1800 (or 1825 - accounts differ). The early history is sketchy because most of the records were destroyed during WWII when the distillery was hit by Luftwaffe airstrikes (one bomb crater is now used as a pond to hold cooling water for the condensers). What is known is that the distillery passed through about half a dozen different owners before being purchased by Morrison-Bowmore in 1984. The Lowlander distillery was a good compliment to the company's two other distilleries - Glen Garioch in the Highlands and the eponymous Bowmore on Islay. Morrison-Bowmore was in turn acquired by the Japanese drinks conglomerate Suntory, who have continued to invest in their trio of Scottish whisky distilleries. The distillery was not open to visitors until fairly recently, but now hosts a well-regarded visitors center that I will hopefully get to see this summer.

All of the miniature bottles for this tasting came from The Whisky Exchange (which has a pretty broad selection of other minis as well). However, this does mean that my sample of the 12 Year is bottled at 40% rather than the US-spec 43%. Because of the lower bottling proofs, I'm guessing that all of these whiskies are chill filtered. Additionally, I can be sure that they've all had caramel colored added - it says so in German on the back.

Auchentoshan 12 Year

Nose: sour/unripe fruit esters (apple, pear, pineapple?), toasted malt, corn, a little grassy, lots of vanilla, caramel, light wine notes, berries in cream, peaches, nutty, roasted marshmallows, undertones of cacao, espresso, barrel char, and lemon. After adding a few drops of water, the malt notes become creamier, with more vanilla and stronger bourbon barrel notes, fruit notes retreat, lighter sour tinge, salted caramels emerge.

Taste: malty sweetness up front, undercurrent of creamy fruit and berries, sour notes along with bourbon grain (corn or wheat) mid-palate, very light oak at the back. After dilution, the sweetness at the front becomes more like sucrose with cane sugar grassiness, the sour and bitter notes from mid-palate back merge in a pleasant fashion, and there are more salted caramel notes in the middle.

Finish: malty bubblegum, still a bit sour, tannins build over multiple sips, somewhat astringent. After dilution it becomes more oak-tannin focused, but lighter and more pleasant.

I feel like this whisky would make a great entry point for a bourbon drinker into the world of single malts. The bourbon barrel character, along with, I understand, the influence of a smaller percentage of ex-sherry casks, is laid pleasantly over malt whisky to produce something that's on the lighter end of the single malt spectrum, but doesn't skimp on flavor. I enjoyed the toasty notes in the nose, though the palate wasn't quite as exciting. Solid, but not particularly inspiring. Craft presentation might help this whisky, both by increasing the mouthfeel and giving it a bit more oomph from higher bottling proof. However, it does form a good introduction to the core whiskies of the brand.

Auchentoshan 18 Year

Nose: green tea, ripe mangos, peaches, wood sugars, bourbon vanilla extract, cake frosting, dark chocolate, creamy toasted oak. After adding a few drops of water, it becomes much sweeter/maltier and more integrated - salted caramel and oak notes overlap, mango slips inside the wood, other fruit notes emerge - apples, pears, wine/grape, orange peel, and rose notes really pop out.

Taste: slightly caramelized sugar up front, well-integrated oak emerges mid-palate - offers a nice counterpoint with the continuing caramel - along with some tropical fruits, slightly grassy near the back. After dilution, there's a brief burst of cognac fruitiness just before the wood sugars up front, followed by a bit of orange peel, then overlapping corn/malt sweetness and oak mid-palate, leaving with cacao and chocolate.

Finish: very mild bitter oak, coffee beans, orange peel, wine, and a hint of malt.

This was easily my favorite of the three. It was nice to see a distillery putting together an older whisky from nothing but bourbon barrels, letting the malt shine on its own without any kind of cask finish. It's a clear case of good spirit going into good wood for a good amount of time. The mango notes throughout the whisky were particularly nice and played a great counterpoint to the bourbon-barrel caramel, vanilla, and oak. It's definitely a lighter, sweeter whisky, but there are just enough oak tannins to keep everything in balance. A superb example of what a distillery can do when they have faith in their malt - my hat goes off to Rachel Barrie, the master blender for Morrison-Bowmore. My only quibble is that I wish they would switch to craft presentation - drop the chill filtration and caramel coloring and bump up the bottling proof a few points. 43% is better than 40%, but that extra bit of care would take this from being a really, really good whisky to a stunner.

Auchentoshan Three Wood

Nose: creamy oloroso/PX sherry (especially captures the savory notes of oloroso sherry), raspberries, raisin fruit leather, strawberry bubblegum, peppery oak, salted caramels, roses, a hint of malt, tropical fruits. After adding a few drops of water, the nose becomes more robust and less sherry-driven, with the malt and bourbon barrel notes becoming more prominent - woody salted caramels, which integrates well with the savory sherry notes, floral/raspberry notes merge, and chocolate and barbecue sauce peek out.

Taste: grape/sherry notes begin sweetly, then slowly move into a more bitter mode, savory sherry and caramel notes emerge mid-palate with a dash of salt & pepper, then raspberry compote and oak tannins at the back. After dilution, the flavors become more bourbon barrel-driven, with wood sugar and savory sherry up front, with oak and malt layered on top further back, along with chocolate-covered raisins.

Finish: bittersweet sherry/raisin notes, slightly savory, peppery oak.

After the brilliance of the 18 Year, I approached this whisky with a bit of trepidation. It begins life as standard bourbon cask whisky, which is first transferred to ex-oloroso sherry casks for about a year, then finally to ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry casks for about a year. And my first sniffs and sips kind of bore that out - where was the malt? It seemed like everything had been smothered under a heavy blanket of sherry. However, a few drops of water radically transformed the whisky, letting the malt shine on its own and emphasizing the savory aspects of oloroso sherry, which played very well with the bourbon barrel notes. While I usually prefer higher proof bottlings, this one might actually be better at 41-42%. That extra bit of water made it, at least to me, a significantly better dram. On the other hand, I do wonder what kind of a whisky this could be if it was made from a blend of bourbon barrel and sherry cask whiskies, rather than from bourbon barrel whisky finished in ex-sherry casks. That might let the lovely bourbon barrel character shine while playing nicer with the burley oloroso and PX sherry casks at a higher proof. The sherries can add some really wonderful layers to the whisky, but it seems like a shame to use too heavy a hand in putting them on.

It was really interesting to compare and contrast these whiskies with the other triple-distilled single malts I've had from Hazelburn. Salted caramels seem to be a common thread, which makes me curious to find out if it's a feature of triple distillation or just a coincidence. I have a bottle of BenRiach's experimental triple-distilled whisky, so I'll have to see if it has the same notes. Overall I really enjoyed these whiskies and I'm rather interested in trying some of their other expressions, especially higher proof bottlings like Valinch or the Bordeaux Cask.