Glenmorangie 1993 Ealanta 19 Year Old Virgin Oak Casks

I am with you on this one. True, I did rate it a few marks higher, but it falls way short of previous PE editions, namely Artein and the the Sonnalta PX. That sickly sweet note that you mention, I also find in their standard 18YO. It had a nice fruit note (peaches to me), but it did not stick around for long.

Off topic, but related to the Glenmorangie PE series, this was substantially more expensive than previous editions. I chalked that up to the 19 years. However, the new NAS Companta seems to fall into the 100-115 price range as well. Hmmmm...

Interesting that I salivated reading your great and accurate nose/palate descriptions-- and yet you were (relatively) disappointed in those same sensations.... I loved the Ealanta; are my teeth just sweeter than yours? Probably, but I couldn't say this is nearly as sweet as e.g. the 18yo. @Onibubba , You have been a trusty guide for me in this area; for me in this case though, I put the Ealanta just a hair or 2 above Artein-- if only because it seems "fuller" and has such mouthfeel.

The nice thing about Scotch is that everyone's palate is a bit different. What works for some won't work for others. That doesn't keep us from sharing our tasting experiences. Nice review and most interesting comments. Thank you, gentlemen.

I've never met Jim Murray but I know many writers, bloggers and other professionals in the whisky industry who have and they have all mentioned how perverted, gross and obnoxious he is. Too bad, as I enjoy his writing and look forward to the book being published every year. I agree with you on the Ealanta - very interesting and quite good but not amazing - but I'm not surprised Murray loves it as much as he does, as he leans toward ryes and bourbons, which share some characteristic with the Ealanta. And I don't believe he is "selling out" for a second. He may be a giant dick, but he does have integrity.

I'm glad we're having a bit of a discussion about this! Over time I think the playing field levels and we all become quasi-connoisseurs in our own right. Which essentially means that by and large we will all agree on which is a good whisky and which one is not. Personal preferences aside I think we're all in a position to judge a whisky on it's merits. And we have certain yardsticks to measure our opinion against. There will, therefore, be very few instances where someone is in love with a whisky and his peers think it's just average. There might be degrees of goodness or badness but seldom such a huge disparity.

I suspected that Jim would like this because of it's bourbon like preparation. But when you compare it to last years' winner it's quite a shock. That means he liked this as much as the Handy and more than the Weller. I can't believe that no matter how much I try.

I happened to find a pour of this for $8 - I took advantage a couple times. While a light pleasant Glenmorangie - it was certainly no whisky of anything. Sadly, last time, the purchaser got the pricing together and it is now $18/pour...