February 8, 2016

Glenmorangie sixty years later

There’s a newish Glenmorangie ‘Private Edition’ called Milsean, that came without an age statement (boo) but at 46% (hurrah). So we’ll have it today, and for a better historical – and perhaps stylistic - perspective, let’s first have some really old one, if that’s okay with you…

Glenmorangie 10 yo (70° proof, OB, UK, bottled 1950s)

The oldest official Glenmorangie 10 I’ve ever tried, and yet another example of an official Scotch single malt that was bottled way before the modern single malt category was even created, in the 1960s (according to marketers working for another large company), and way before the Scots started to add age statements to their labels (yeah yeah yeah). Oh well, who cares about the past and its truths? Colour: white wine (surprise surprise). Nose: pure, naked, smoky, mineral. Oh the lovely pre-vanilla days! Silverware, chalk, metal polish, touches of rhubarb and cider apples, a little brine, and certainly a little peat smoke. It’s not impossible that this baby was distilled when oil was still in short supply, and that they had used peat instead. Love this purity. Mouth: smoky ashes, camphory touches, watermelon, shoe polish, apples, drops of brine (a saltiness for sure)… Glenmorangie is very hard to recognise, this is a much smokier and saltier spirit. The whole’s pristine, although a tad simple, perhaps, despite these notes of honeydew melon that are coming out, with some pepper. I’d say it’s more or less Talisker-smoky, to give you an idea. Finish: medium, very salty, and more lemony. Always this pure freshness. Even more ashes in the aftertaste, perhaps some pears. Comments: absolutely excellent, with almost no signs of tiredness. It’s really a thrill to be able to try such ‘natural’ old spirits and check to which extent a distillate has changed over the decades. Very lovely. SGP:453 - 89 points.

Glenmorangie ‘Milsean’ (46%, OB, +/-2016)

A nice retro packaging that reminds me of an old circus, perhaps (check Compass Box’ next bottling in that respect!) Or an old ice-cream truck, remember? This baby was matured in bourbon wood, then finished in re-toasted wine casks. Why not! Colour: gold. Nose: the antithesis of the old 10. When that one was saying ‘rocks’, this one says ‘candy floss’. Indeed, candy floss, and marshmallows, jelly babies, the expected vanilla, touches of coconut, and then drops of light rum and nail polish. I don’t know why, I cannot not think of Auchentoshan. Mouth: we’re going towards bourbon, or even pure corn whiskey. That’s funny indeed. Sweet maize, coconut, vanilla, sultanas, plenty of sweet oak (not tannic as such), and a feeling of cassata ice-cream. From the aforementioned ice-cream truck, of course. Ends up with more pears, which suggests youth. Finish: rather short, clean, and always on sweets and jellies. Some might say this is a sexist remark, but I find it a little girly. Comments: some light bourbon from Scotland – a Scottish obsession these days, it seems. Drinks very well, for sure. SGP:741 - 81 points.

Oh, no, I was sure I had some Westports left (teaspooned Glenmorangie), but I can’t find them. Bah, next time! (and thanks again and again, Angus)

Check the index of all Glenmorangie I've tasted so far