Whisky Connosr
Menu
Shop Join

Glenmorangie 10 Year Old - Original

Average score from 39 reviews and 159 ratings 82

Glenmorangie 10 Year Old - Original

Product details

  • Brand: Glenmorangie
  • Bottler: Distillery Bottling
  • ABV: 40.0%
  • Age: 10 year old

Shop for this

What next?

  • Add to cabinet
  • Add to wish list
@huineman
Glenmorangie 10 Year Old - Original

Owned by LVMH, this Highland is said to be the best-selling single malt in Scotland (whatever that means.) At just 10 years old, it pours very, very light yellow (no fake coloring, that's a good thing.) Aroma is intense fruit (lemon peel, green plums, dry pineapple, even gummies.) There's a hint of pipe tobacco as well. Body is light, smooth and not powerful at all. Silky finish, slightly bitter-ish, lasting but a second. Having no great flaws, it has no real virtues either.

@Nozinan

I’m currently living without my wife and children. Not voluntarily, but by agreement. We recently went to Calgary to celebrate the 40th year of her family coming to Canada and met with some of the sponsors who made it happen. After that (and a little shopping with @Nosebleed) I returned home to work but they’re staying to visit family and see some sights. Party time! - NOT. I had piled a bunch of call into these 2 weeks before we got a puppy, and so I’ve been pretty exhausted.

This evening I saw my neighbour’s daughter (we were room-mates for a year when I went to Teacher’s College) in their driveway so I brought the puppy out to say hello. They were arriving, not leaving, which is for the best because they had their dog and it was freaking mine out. But her mom went inside and brought out a belated 50th birthday gift.

I’ve never had the Original before. My first Glenmorangie was Quinta Ruban, and since then I’ve tried the Signet and, I think, the Lasanta. My B-I-L was gifted an 18 YO but I’m not sure if I tried it. This is the first bottle I’ve owned.

This expression, freshly opened today, is reviewed in my usual manner, allowing it to settle after which I take my nosing and tasting notes, followed by the addition of only a few drops of water, waiting, then nosing and tasting. I don’t usually put water in my low proof whiskies but I wanted to be thorough. I used a Highland Whisky Glass.


Nose: 21.5/25

Very sweet and fruity, syrupy. Slight vegetal note in the background. Green, sour apples. Despite 40%, a little spirity. Not a bad nose. Water brings out the alcohol spiritiness and dulls the other smells. (20/25)

Taste: 20.5/25

A little thin on the mouthfeel. some alcohol nip. Sweet. A little fruity. Apple in the development. Fairly simple. Surprisingly, water smooths out the alcohol nip, but it remains thin. (21/25)

Finish: 20.5/25

Slightly astringent. Some pepper. Not too long.

Balance: 21/25

Uncomplicated. Easy to sip, well-balanced but underpowered.

Score: Neat - 83.5/100 With Water: 82.5/100


This is an easy drinking, pleasant whisky, but not something I’m likely to reach for often at all, not with so many other high proof, complex beauties in my cabinet.

@Markjedi1 ended his review of this in 2017 with “Fine whisky for (no offense!) beginners.” I completely agree with this assessment.

How will I use this bottle? Well, now that my decanted small bottle of Glenlivet 12 is tapering down, this one will be a great one to introduce relative new scotch drinkers to the genre.

The palate profile has dramatically changed from when I last had a Glemorangie in 2004. I was gifted a 1 litre duty free bottle by my BiL. I still have the Glenmorangie glass. The flavour memory of citrus oranges was what I remembered ... crap I'm dating myself.

@OdysseusUnbound I read some of the older reviews from 2012 on Connosr. There was notes on orange, lemon, and biscuits. @Victor review mentions orange. Moreover, the majority of the reviews indicated that the complexity gets better with time in the bottle. I know that the bottle I consumed had a label with a tribute to the "16 men of Tain".

@markjedi1

The Ten Year Old was rechristened Original when LVMH took over. It is still matured for ten years in oak from the forest in the Ozark Mountains, of which Glenmorangie is the owner. This is their entry level malt at 40%. I tried it before and found it to be quite ordinary,but am willing to give it another go after six years.

The nose is very sweet and docile on vanilla, toffee, honey and white fruit. Think apples and pears, but also – with a bit of good will – some gooseberries. Slightly more creamy than I remember, so it has that going for it at least.

It is also oily, almost creamy, on the palate. That’s nice. It is again very sweet (on more of the same from the nose, albeit joined by some raisin, almonds and loads of caramel), but also a bit spicy. Very soft, though. Just a whiff of pepper, almost not worthy to be mentioned.

The medium long finish continues in the same league.

A flawless, but rather uninspired entry level malt. Around 30 to 35 EUR, depending on where you look. Fine whisky for (no offense!) beginners.

I enjoy this one. Simple and sweet. Yeah it's nothing special but for it's price what do you expect?

@markjedi1 That is the kind of Scotch I specifically buy to do some vatting. Like you say, it is flawless, therefore it could provide a base that I can spice at my convenience. It could also be use to mellow something harsh or heavy. As a vatting base, it could provides a lot of fun.

@casualtorture

This was going to be pt2 of a h2h with the Glen Grant 10 but since I think I have a bad bottle of that one lets let the Glenmorangie 10yo 'The Original' stand on its own in my search for an entry level hot weather dram.

Nose: A summer meadow. I say summer as opposed to spring because it's more grassy than floral. Dry hay, grassy, slightly floral, sweet grapes, and vanilla with a slight bitterness. It's all a bit muted so you really have to stick your nose in the glass.

Palate: Much sweeter than the nose. Vanilla takes things over here, with some milk chocolate (I wasn't expecting that) all balanced with a lively spicy oaky bite. The spice and oak really help balance the sweetness otherwise it would be too sweet. I would say the palate is simple but balanced.

Finish: Drying, oaky and not as sweet.

Body: Thin and light as expected.

Overall: Good whisky, especially for the price of 158rmb (about $23usd). This will definately be a good candidate for a summertime sunday evening dram. And for 23 bucks. Good value. I would love to try a cask strength version of this.

@Victor i got a comment trail from my chivas 12 review. weird...seems to have fixed itself.

now that you say orange i would agree that there is a bit of a citrus zest. but as for the apple and pear i didn't pick up that. to make sure I didn't taste any, I tried some 'fiddich 12 right after some of this and this definately is lacking the apple and pear that is so prominent in the 'fiddich. I then did 50/50 of the Glenmorangie and the Glenfiddich which was an interesting vatting...

@Alexsweden this one has definately peaked my interest as to what else this distillery has to offer.

@talexander

Now let's try the current bottling. In my last review, I said the current bottling no longer carried a 10 year old age statement - this is false, now that I'm looking at it it clearly does. I just opened this now.

The colour is a medium gold, identical to the older bottling (though perhaps a little less oily in the glass). On the nose there is honey, lemon, baked pastry, almonds, a touch of oak and a tiny bit of spice. A slight hint of peat comes through with water. Very nice and pleasant.

On the palate this is very smooth and easy-going - a little too delicate. Light thin honey, orange pith, lemon meringue and again, a very small touch of spice (a bit spicier with water). Nice but fairly nondescript.

The finish is a bit oaky, herbal and fruity, with some late arriving spice. Well, as you get from my notes above - it's nice. Pretty much what I tasted last night with Hamish (though I think this bottle with me here is still a bit closed, it needs time to open up). But no comparison to the older mini. Side-by-side, the older one has that old malty, slightly peaty aspect to it that the new one is sorely missing - especially on the palate. There is no contest. When it comes to the Glenmorangie 10, older is better.

@talexander. If I read your review before seeing the score, I would assume you were about to score this at around 82. Your words seem to contradict the score, or vice-versa. The last time I had this was a litre from a duty free. I found it too sweet, seriously lacking in complexity and devoid of any discernible finish. Inoffensive is about the best I could say for it. I would be generous in scoring it 82. I think there are much better entry level 10-12 year olds than this one. AnCnoc 12, Benromach 10, Arran 10, HP 12, to name just a few. Are you really comfortable scoring this within a point or two of the older one that you find much superior? I'm usually right with you on your reviews, but we don't see eye to eye on this one. Cheers.

This has been my "go to" for over 30 years. I don't think it has really changed that much, but "bottle aging" may make some difference in your comparison. Also the use of first fill barrels has made some changes to the taste, as compared to older bottlings. I actually enjoy first fill, so it doesn't bother me, but may others.

In fact my most recent bottle was quite good, especially with some air time. It has always needed to sit for a bit to get rid of the alcohol bite, but this last one was truly as good as the Arran 14 I had at the same time, but not quite as good as the Nadurra 16. I would put it at 88 and the Nadurra at 91. I have had many other bottles of Glenmo 10 over the years that have been low 80's, but recent ones have been quite good.

J

Delicious single malt that I cant recommend enough. Anyone can enjoy & appreciate this. Reasonably priced and widely available. Super smooth with deep complexity of malty & fruity flavors with some spiciness.

This one took me over to "the malt side" over 30 years ago. Still my regular sipper as it's only $30 and a solid consistent drink. It's at its best after putting in one ice cube and letting it sit until it melts. Removes any alcohol burn and makes a creamier, mellower dram. Best, like all good scotch, when taking small sips and enjoying the entire experience. Like a good cigar, you want to slowly savor good whisk(e)y.

@Boglehill

This was my first single malt and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a widely available, easy drinking, affordable whisky (less than $40 US for a 750 ml bottle) that delivers plenty of interest with each sip. Nose is light and sweet notes of vanilla, bread and creamy orange. Flavor includes these along with notes of clove, honey and lime. It has plenty of flavor for such a light bodied spirit. A good value for the money.

@Pierre_W

Glenmorangie distillery is located in Tain in the Northern Highlands and was founded in 1843 when William and John Mathesen applied for a license for a farm distillery called ‘Morangie’. Although rumor has it that whisky distillation in the area took place as early as 1703, the actual production of malt whisky at Glenmorangie did not begin until November 1849. The distillery was rebuilt in 1887 and the Glenmorangie Distillery Company Ltd was founded during the same year. In 1918 the distillery was sold to two partners: MacDonald & Muir Ltd acquired 40%, while the whisky dealer Durham obtained 60%; MacDonald & Muir would take over Durham’s share during the late 1930ies. In 2004 the MacDonald family sold Glenmorangie distillery to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) in a deal that also included Ardbeg and Glen Moray distilleries. This 10-year old version called ‘The Original’ was first launched in 2007 when it replaced the distillery’s former 10-year old expression.

The nose is lightly malty to begin with. I then got lemon tartness, mint tea, hints of vanilla, as well as sour candy. Pleasant but not great.

The palate is quite light-bodied at the beginning, indeed on the point of becoming watery, however it gains in volume over time. I detected honey and vanilla flavours, together with hints of caramel and coffee.

The finish is of medium length, nutty and malty. Towards the end some light notes of oranges and ginger appear.

I am not a big fan of the nose but there is certainly nothing wrong with this whisky. This is good and solid as an entry level malt and equally good value for money, in my humble opinion.

@KMullaney

Nose: Vanilla, honeysuckle, floral Palate: Hint of vanilla and sweets, slight malt Finish:....

This is a great bottle to just sit with and enjoy especially while other bottles are sitting on the shelf "breathing".

@vrudy6

This is a light, summer dram. First opened, felt young and with a moderate alcohol burn. I poured it in my decanter for a couple of hours and it settled big time! Medium bodied. Smooth and vibrant. vanilla,lemon meringue, fresh cut flowers, eucaliptus, slight ginger, green tea, oak. All wrapped around a light, fresh- baked pastry. Very elegant and refined. Thanks to the tallest stills in Scotland . Great starter for a whisky tasting. At my local store, i pick this up for under $32.00. An amazing bargain!

@AdamJackson

Pale yellow. robittusin show polish and acidic leather. Taste is distinct. I get booze for the whole taste. Sweet bit chewy like a very fruit forward pie. The alcohols burn is a turn off

@Nock

Glenmorangie 10yo was my very first single malt scotch. I remember the night: Summer of 2001. I was in grad school and visiting friends in Louisville. At this point I was a diehard port drinker. However, that night at the liquor store I couldn’t find a port I liked (so I got a Taylor Fladgate LBV). One of my friends couldn’t stop raving about this whisky that was the best thing he had ever put in his mouth. He bought a bottle. Later that night we were playing poker and smoking cigars. And the Taylor Fladgate was just way to sweet for me . . . so I switched to Glenmorangie 10yo on a few ice cubes . . . and it was wonderful. Something about my mood, the heat (it was HOT), and the sweetness of it all. I was just tired of sweet port. I have never looked back. Since then I have moved on from Glenmorangie, but it holds a sentimental place in my heart.

Here is a tasting between an old bottle that has been opened for well over 2 years and a fresh 50mL miniature:

The bottle open for 2 years:

Nose: Grapes, apples, pears, apricots, and citrus dominate the nose. It smells round and subdued . . . or maybe that is my overly suggestively susceptible brain. Nope. There is an earthy quality to the fruit.

Taste: Very white winey with grapes.

Finish: Nice little explosion of fire, spice and heat give way to medium finish that is both full and warming with hints of both fruit and flowers. A very nice dram. I see why I once loved it.

Balance, Complexity: Very fruity with a little spice and earth to it. Love the complexity and delicacy.

Color, Body, Aesthetic experience: Light gold with a medium light body. Sad that it is no longer made by the 16 men of Tain (only perfected). Don’t care for the new bottle style either.

Total = 83.5

50mL miniature fresh

Nose: Much hotter on the front of the nose with pepper and spice. More floral. I still smell the grapes and fruit but they are not as apparent and sit further back behind grass and earth. I would say that this is more balanced substituting pepper and spice for fruit.

Taste: Also very white winey with grapes.

Finish: Same nice little explosion of fire, spice and heat etc. There are floral, fruit, and grain notes as well as spice all moving to a very nice medium and delicate finish.

Balance, Complexity: Nice balance of spice to fruit and floral. I think I prefer this version simply for the spice and pepper that give way to more fruit over time and oxidation. This is a great introduction to scotch.

Color, Body, Aesthetic experience: All in all the same as above.

Total = 84

Conclusion: Even though the full bottle was open for 2 years and the miniature was fresh I ended up scoring them very closely. I prefer the fresh pepper of a new bottle. But over all my flavor profile has migrated away from this bottle. Even in my early scotch drinking days I preferred the Port Wood finish 12yo and the standard 15yo over this 10yo. (Man I miss that 15yo Glenmorangie . . . tons of spice and pepper). When I finally get around to killing the final two fingers of this bottle I will pick up another . . . I'm just not in a hurry.

l

A pale amber in colour and with a honeyed sweetness on the nose, the Glenmorangie 10 is certainly inviting. With further appraisal it's possible to make out notes of candied orange peel, and as the first sip spreads over the tongue the oaky vanilla flavour really hits home- and that's just it. The flavours are simple, and pleasant enough, but there just isn't the depth or complexity in this whiskey that work together so harmoniously in other bottles. Ideal for those starting on their wonderful journey into the world of whiskeys and a great standard drink to fall back on after a long day at the office, this Glenmorangie isn't anything special- but it is good.

Thank you for that insight Mr Bowles. Just one thing ... Its whisky not whiskey .. whiskey is American (getting you back for the hannibal thing haha) Love the review sir I look forward to tasting this one with you!

@Rantavahti

Glenmorangie 10 year old, the Original was pretty straight shooting like Lemonade Joe in the movie. Straight forward but bit incoherent.

Glenmorangie 10 yrs Original is definitely 'the lemonade whisky' and it suits well for summer evenings but it's nothing special.

Nose: Like a very mellow fruity fragrance. Watery lemonade with citrus and floral notes.

Taste. The floral effect is massive with some caramel sweetness and stingy lemony feel.

Finish: Spicy and minty, sharp and fruity as well.

Balance: Very light start and rough end, but with a nice taste in the middle. A bit of scramble of light and stingy notes, yet a decent whisky.

Well said. I'm more of a fan of this than you seem to be. It's definitely not something I drink for it's richness or complexity. But I drink this a lot because where I live it's about $17. Also, I see it as the quintessential light sipper. When I'm not feeling analytical, and I want something light, pleasant, and refreshing, this is my go-to single malt. Accessible and charming with a sweet citrussy character.

I'm curious about the difference between the 'Original' and the 10 yr old too. They taste the same to me, but I only tried the 10 yr old once. At the time it tasted identical. Either they have 2 bottlings for the same product or I missed some subtle differences...

This is probably an old version of the Glenmorangie 10 so I Made my review for the one, that has the correct picture. Does anyone know if they've updated their product or why there's two kinds of Glenmorangie 10 Year old Original's @Connosr?

Here's the other one: connosr.com/reviews/glenmorangie/…

@MisterDigger

Okay, start laughing already! How I chose this one is truly unique. After buying a bottle of Johnnie Walker Gold Label 18 and being really impressed, I set out on a quest to find a scotch that was cheaper and "almost as good". Once I knew that JW Gold was mainly Clynelish 14 (which was not cheap), I looked at a map of Highland distilleries. I figured that soil and water were everything in the final product, so I looked to see which distillery was closest to Clynelish and also had affordable bottlings. Voila!!! It was Glenmorangie, so I bought a bottle of 10 year old Original at an entry level bargain price. When I got home, I had to calculate the amount of water to be added to bring it down to 40% ABV like JW Gold. Once things were equal, the taste test began.

Gosh, in just a few days of trying single malt scotches, I had already figured out the TRICK! They tatsed almost similar!! I even proclaimed my results to a bartender, who politely laughed and even bit his lip to avoid going into hysterics. What this newbie here failed to consider was that every new bottle needs to oxidize for a while, and then comparisons can begin. I should have remembered this from my few bottles of Kentucky Spirit Bourbon, one of the most succeptible to oxidation (That one goes from stellar to crap in just one month).

As this bottle of Glenmorangie 10 wore down, it became a love-hate relationship with it. Some days it was too bland, and on others it was worth keeping on hand year round. Decisions, decisions!

Hey! I just happened upon your profile here on the website and you seem to have a very thorough knowledge of scotch.

I'm a young guy, 25 years old, and I really enjoy beer. Not in the sense of let's go get hammered, but let's sip on a seasonal draft and enjoy the flavor. To me the next step would be to get to know scotch in the same way I know and enjoy beer. However, I don't know anything about scotch or bourbon or whisky. I was actually looking up reviews for glenmorangie and saw yours, which led me to comment on your page.

I actually just bought my first single malt scotch yesterday, and can hardly wait for this weekend to crack it open. It was kind of an impulse buy, and I got a cheap brand which I'm very anxious to try and a little scared...lol. It was Speyburn 10-Year.

What tips or brands do you think I should try to better enjoy scotch? I guess one could say I'm looking for a drinking mentor here.

On a side note, I am a teacher, which means probably things that are affordable. Maybe 50-60$ at the most, preferable in the 30-40$ range (or less).

Thanks!

Matt

Taco: I will wind up buying this one again one day because it is so affordable and easily available at almost any grocery store in my area. Since it is a Highlander, it is not fair for me to compare it with the two most popular and affordable Speysiders, Glenlivet 12 and Glenfiddich 12. And similar to yourself, this was actually the first full bottle of single malt that I ever purchased, and we all have fond memories of our first loves.

@vanPelt

Nose: Like smelling hard cider (a mix of apple and pear ciders), with the yeast not filtered. Nose2: Light honey with some grapefruit; over time, getting creamier with vanilla and yeasty pastry.

Palate: Wheat entrance, smooth like slightly sweet pastry dough. Emerging orange rind sharpness along with vague sweetness. Midpalate, this citrus gets smoothed-over with some creamy custard... and this develops an interesting slight bitterness, as from freshly sliced almonds.

Finish: Remaining light honey and custard, in puff pastry. Accents of orange, including sour zest around the cheeks.

This is a very good show for a "light" Scotch. The malty richness of cream-and-pastry belies the label of "light"; and the interplay with light citrus keeps the experience interesting. The Original is a very good base, extremely easy to drink. My main complaints are lack of complexity (once you get past the interesting yeasty pastry Glenmorangie theme) and a finish that gets dry just a bit too soon. But this is fine for an everyday dram (if you drink that way), and this sets the tone for the rest of the range. For instance, if you want more orange and sweetness, go for the 18yo. If you want more cream, go for the Ealanta (or maybe Astar). If you want to see a more complex interplay of cream and tart than seen here, go for the Nectar D'Or, which is probably the most similar to the Original.

If you want to compare with other distilleries, the closest associations I can make are: the Isle of Jura Superstition (which has more hay instead of "dough"), and the Aberlour 10 (which has more fruit/less butter).

@tastydram

Color: pale straw.

Nose: Honey and heather flowers take the lead. Citrus and vanilla are also present. A very sweet and accessible dram. Adding water rewards you with peaches, ripe grapes and a bit of crème brulée.

Taste: Sweetness of honey, vanilla and floral accents. This reminds me of violets. Near the end I'm getting something nutty. Perhaps almonds. Water strengthens the floral and nutty flavours. There's also some lemon zest.

Finish: Quite short with a nutty after-taste. Like putting an almond immersed in honey in your mouth.

Conclusion: A typical Highlander. The sweetness and floral flavours make it very accessible.

My original tasting notes (in Dutch) can be found on my tumblr blog A Tasty Dram: tastydram.tumblr.com/post/49706054351/…

@GotOak91

I acquired this Highlander after careful homework study. I believed that this would be a nice first Highland style bottling. Popular, as it is the third most bought scotch bottling after Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. So I bought this one for $39 USD.

Color: What can be described as liquid gold. Oddly enticing color, it makes you hope that this is a great whisky. I kinda didn't want to open this bottle as it looks quite impressive. Its one of those small number of bottles that you could impress someone if they don't know too much about the art of whisky.

Nose: Beautiful notes of orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Sweet floral notes are evident. Sweet with vanilla, caramel, and honey. Slight herbal notes that linger in the background. This is an excellent nose, one of my favorites outside the Islay region.

Body: Slow yet thin legs, medium-rich body. It coats the tongue well.

Taste: Initially very sweet with honey and vanilla custard. Creamy assorted fruit notes exist in the way of more citrus and cherries. Gentle spice notes in the way of cinnamon poke through also. This is delicious, so far an excellent dessert dram.

Finish: Very lingering and sweet fruit and honey laced finish. Simple yet delicious. A great finish to this dram.

Overall: This is a wonderful and sweet dram. Quite the representation of what I believe a dessert dram is to be. This could easily replace dessert for me (sometimes ;). This is a great sweet digestif. The only problem is that I could understand this being too sweet for some. It could become a little too much.

@T4sho3

I read a review about this whisky and wanted to experience the explosion of the orange!

The nose has fresh citrus orange, an orange honey comb, melted vanilla chocolate poured over oranges, sweet spices emerge, a fresh orchard smell, small hints of lemon concentrate, pears and apricots, dried fruit baskets

The taste has orange and apricot zestfulness, the mouth feel is fresh and alive, spices and herbs, tastes like a young spirit and small notes of vanilla, there is an alcohol taste, ya definite alcohol burn

Finish is bitter sweet, butterscotch on oranges with a dash of spice, leaves a lingering orange spice aftertaste, this is a definite nosing whisky

@tjb

Light gold in appearance. Sweet fruity and thick on the nose with orange zest and lemon peel. There is a tiny bite upfront then sweet, floral, mild spice with a honey and fruit finish which I found fairly short.

As entry levels malts go it is a good one.

I went to my local off license yesterday but they had nothing that really struck me. So, I wandered around my local farmers market with my little girl and decided that when i got home i would order something special. After much deliberation i ended up ordering a Lagavulin 1994 Distillers Edition finished in Pedro Ximinez sherry casks. I also ordered a Caol Ila Cask Strength / Quarter Bottle so only got the Glenfarclas 10 and 15 in miniature plus a mini Bunnahabhain 12. I haven't really tried many mini's but thought they would give me an insight and save me buying full bottles. Bruichladdich are in my sights also, I haven't tried any yet... So many things to try and only one lifetime in which to do so.

Jeez, that sounds great but also expensive! I totally loved the CI CS when I knew how to water it correctly. It takes a few teaspoons and a few minutes to get this beast to calm down a little, but then you get a CI 12 with a v12 in it:) Without it its just too rough and alcoholic.

@AKGcandlefish

Color: bright and sunny.

Nose: light as a feather. Sweet citrus and fresh cut grass.

Body: silky and smooth, almost creamy.

Palate: nutty carrot cake iced in an orange and lemon glaze. Hint of oak and menthol. Very warm in the mouth.

Finish: a short burst of cinnamon, then nothing. Much warmer in the mouth than in the chest.

At $30 a bottle, this Highland malt offers a sweet alternative to the standard introductory Speysides. Very inviting but a little lightweight for the more experienced Scotch-drinker, particularly in the nose and finish.

@PMessinger

Wow a fruit basket in a glass,warm arival of pears, fruit spice, vanilla followed by medium bodied light short sweet finish.

@YakLord

Glenmorangie's 10 yr 'Original' is the malt on which everything else in the Glenmorangie line is based, and while I've not had the opportunity to try any of Glenmorangie's 'finished' whiskies, they are on my list. This particular bottle was opened in November 2011 and will be finished this evening!

The 10 yr old is very good for what it is, and frankly, while it may be more expensive, I prefer it to the Glenlivet and Glenfiddich 12 yr malts.

Nose: delicate floral (clover) with touches of honey and vanilla.

Palate: sweet, fairly viscous honey, butter, pastry with traces of candied nuts - almost like liquid baklava; the first dram was the sweetest

Finish: the baklava notes carry through, with a slightly carmelized sugar taste which slowly changes to honey-drizzled fruit (pears?) at the end.

Balance: this is a very soft, delicate whisky, far more suited to summer than it is to winter. When paired with actual baklava, the experience is mindblowingly sweet!

@Victor

The Glenmorangie 10 year old "Original" is the basic malt on which the Glenmorangie line is based. It is popular and mild. The reviewed bottle has been open 2 years and hasn't changed much over that period of time

Nose: slight to moderately sweet orange, pear, and apple, a bit of background barley-malt scent, and slight echoes of wood. Sweet

Taste: the flavours from the nose translate onto the palate, with more sweetness. This long opened bottle is also sweeter still than it was early on. This bottle has shown almost no sour or bitter evolution over long oxidation. This is easy-drinking, very mild-mannered, and pleasant

Finish: moderate length for the fruit, with a long warm sweet glow to follow

Balance: there is a reason why this is tremendously popular among the general public of Scotland. It is pleasant, it is easy. It tastes good, if you like the fruit themes and some easy sweetness to go along with them. This is usually not a "destination whisky" for hard-core malt voyageurs, but it is certainly agreeable. The 10 yo Original is also more predictable in its quality and its characteristics than some of the wine-finished expressions that are based upon it

After having it pointed out to me by @SquidgyAsh, I noted that the 43% ABV expression of Glenmorangie Original which I (and three other US-based Connosr members) reviewed does not appear to be shared by any other non-USA regions for release. 40% ABV appears to be the standard, everywhere but in the US.

Thanks for the review, Victor. This has always been a favorite of mine. In my opinion Glenmorangie Original is fairly complex for an entry level malt. Always consistent and pretty easy on the wallet. Can't go wrong here.

@joshk

This now makes the 3rd time I've taken notes tasting this. Tasting this before I've have held judgment until I was sure of my opinions. Others has commented on this being a good whisky but for my tastes it's just not drinkable. This time the tasting was in combination with the 3 other common Glenmorangie finished varieties as well (quick notes on them at the end). My notes are all similar for the 3 tastes of the Original so I will combine them here:

  • Nose: Grassy, citrus, some fruit sweetness - like apricot.

  • Palate: Pretty light in body. Citrus, grassiness - more floral meadow this time. A little vanilla sweetness comes and goes in a flash. All this quickly becomes overwhelmed by the finish.

  • Finish: Bitter, acidic burn. Leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

Tasting the 3 others of the main line I'd order them Nectar D'or, Quinta Ruben, Lasanta, Original. The grassiness and bad finish was common throughout. The Sauternes casks of the Nectar D'or did the best job of balancing it out the citrus with more sweet and floral notes. I'd give that a score in the low 80's. The Lasanta just made the finish even more bitter.

After multiple attempts the 10 year Original just don't work for me at all. Water didn't make much difference. Some reviews of this on Connosr are pretty positive but for me I will not be tasting this ever again.

Tend to agree with you on this one. I have tried very hard to like the 10yr Original particularly as I enjoy the Nectar D'Or. However each time I give it another chance it just disappoints. I will give it a few more chances but think the writing is on the wall for me.

The first (and thus far only) Glenmorangie I've had is the Quinta Ruban and I was greatly disappointed. I have a bottle of Nectar D'Or at home that I just haven't gotten around to opening (but I should, damn it) and am also still keen to try the Original...but I think I'm just not big on the heavily tannic finishes.

@markjedi1

The old 10 Year Old got redesigned after Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy, the French company known for luxury goods, took over. This is their entry level malt. It matured for 10 years on American oak. The wood is harvested in the forests of the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, owned by the distillery. The Original is Glenmorangie’s only release bottled at 40% ABV.

The nose differs quite a bit from the old version. Vanilla, toffee, honey: all three return. So Dr Lumsden did his homework. But I get some more fruit here: apples, pears and some berries. A bit creamier than the old one, too. Caramel as well. Much better.

The attack is the middle between weak and creamy. Sweet and spicy (ginger and nutmeg). I get the fruit from the nose again, but also caramel, raisins and candy sugar! This might even be labelled complex (sorry, but after the old 10 I was not expecting this). Towards the end, I also get almonds and cloves. A layered whisky.

In the finish I get some Apple cider and pepper. Medium in length and pleasant.

This is clearly the entry level malt from Glenmorangie and hence easily obtainable in your local supermarket for less than 30 EUR. It is much better than the older version.

@Vinodiuz

Here I have got the Original of the legendary Glenmorangie. The youngest of 10 years old, the Original.

Resting for 10 years in Bourbon casks, is the 'nose', very clean, with scents of vanilla, kind of citrus fruits and some sugary notes. When I took my first 'taste' of this wonderful is it very soft, with again citrus, peaches and orange fruits also the touhc of vanilla is appearing in the taste. The 'finish', is short with a fresh fruity bouquet.

Again a fantastic whisky from Glenmorangie.

If you not like that kind of strong whisky, is this a good whisky to try.

@Anonymous

I presume this whisky is such a big seller because of the price and the advertising campaign i.e mass market appeal. It comes across as exactly the type of whisky that a newcomer to the world of single malts would try as their first dram. It's an unusual single malt but too sickly and syrupy sweet for me. It lacks depth and character and there is no lingering finish, which I like to savour the most in single malt whiskies. The Glenmorangie port wood finish malt is far superior.

p

Appearance - light amber Nose - delicate, floral, honey, candy sweetness, woody, citrus Taste - bit of a bite up front, sweet, floral, woody, honey Finish - floral dry finish, a bit short

@wylcx

Light delicate nose with floral notes and traces of citrus and vanilla, very well balanced with a short finish.

@tabendar

Very aromatic nose with a delicate first sip. Complex whisky with a sweet yet dry, young but oaky characteristic. Subtle toastiness with a nice smokey background. Great for the price.

Maybe just a tiny bit in the background, but it's indeed almost imperceptible. Anyway I love this whisky. In my opinion one of the best entry malts out there. I love it's sweet and dry / oaky and nutty profile.

Interesting ... I've never felt Glenmorangie 10 was smoky at all ... maybe bottle variation ?

@sailorman

Long nosing experience. First at little bit "spirity" in the nose, but then the bouquet changes to a sweet, buttery aroma (almost rancid - no, I mean this in a positive sense). After a few minutes, stronger fruity notes with hints of peaches(?) and almonds. Very smooth, sweet, and mellow taste that lingers on for some time. Each glass is a different nosing and tasting experience. I love this.

It seems there are two different versions on the market: 40% and 43% - both are original. Either the distilleries are beefing up their whisky or the "export" bottling to the U.S. is stronger. I have a bottle of Speyburn in my cabinet, and it is also 43% instead of 40%.

Mine is 40% (80 proof)? I thought it should've been higher because the distillery stresses craft and non-chill filtering so I was confused. Perheaps I got a different bottling?

@HP12

This bottle of Glenmorangie 10 Original was a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law who blindly selected this brand only because he knew I was getting into Scotch. Little did he know that G10-O was on my initial list of the first 10 whisky expressions I wanted in my cabinet. I got lucky as this is no dog.

*Tasted in a 12 oz. snifter, neat, hand warmed and pondered over for about 30 minutes.

Nose: Fruity ripe nose with vanilla cream steeped in subtle oak, sweet syrup.

Palate: Grapefruit sprinkled with light sugar, some orange, malty, smooth and skinny feel on the taste buds.

Finish: The fruit carries thru with soft oak notes hanging around a slight pepper burn that slowly migrates into the medium finish in fruit.

Balance: A soft whisky, maybe more suited for a warm summer night but it won't be turned away during a cold winter night by the fireplace.

This is not necessarily a bottle that will be in the front of the cabinet. In fact, it's one of those bottles that tends to be crowed out by my favorite peated malts, Bourbon's and other whisk(e)y's. But eventually I notice it's tall neck in the crowd and rediscover this sleeper of a dram.

Hi again HP12 , Lilly and I are doing a tasting of the signet on the weeknd of April 22nd 23rd ,it finally arrived , now it's just the wait . was thinking of Glenmo 10 O as a base line , what do you think?

@Rosal

I got this bottle with the 2 crystal tumbler gift set. Love the presentation. Nice etched tumblers with a great bottle of whisky.

Nose: A bit floral mixed with a hint of smoke. Traces of a nice vanilla scent. Apples, lemon, and oranges.

Taste: Sweet and creamy. Nutty and citrus at first then creamy vanilla at the end.

Finish: Long and gentle.

I like the GM Original quite a lot as well. I think that it is underestimated because it is so familiar, reasonably priced, and mildly flavoured.

I could not agree with you more @Victor. Great Highlander.

@phillyslick

the most complex whisky i've tasted so far - not easy to get a hold of but when you do, you can really appreciate this fine single malt whisky

what do i mean by it not being easy to get a hold of -- i was so looking forward to my first taste of glenmorangie 10 yr old i filled my glass and took a big swig neat. my tastebuds were blasted! -- from that point on the only flavor i could make out was jack daniels! for reviewing, i added a generous amount of water to help unlock the different flavors.

b

My first single malt scotch. I must say I was impressed. It taste and nose have nothing in common with any blended whisky out there (and I tried many of them). It was fruity, peach and tea were the tastes I found but I'm new to the world of single malts and my palette is not good enough yet. Me and a friend had almost the full bottle but in the next day we both pretty bad hangovers and that's the explanation of my rating. I recommend it.

@WhiskyNotes

Nose: malty/fruity start with tangerine, ripe gooseberry, lots of pear and honey. Vanilla cream. Some caramel. There’s a buttery side to it that I don’t like too much, but overall not bad.

Mouth: weak delivery. Again fruity. Apples, pears, oranges, but with less appealing flowery, even perfumy hints as well (geranium?). Slightly spicy and zesty. Almond. Dry oak.

Finish: short but quite warm, with apple and nutmeg.

I'm quite fond of this whisky too. Its not earth shattering but it has subtle depths, it's a delicate dram and sometimes you want something a little less in your face. Personally I'd have given it a higher score. Having said that I haven't tried the Astar... yet!

My Orig appears to be evaporating as well. I also have the Nectar, which I sampled, along with the Orig about a month ago. Yes, the Nectar is a fabulous, luxurious keeper ... maybe analogous to the yummy icing on carrot cake, whereas the Orig might be like the delicious cake part. Both necessary.

@jdcook

Nose is gentle, creamy and citrus sweet with a hint of oak. No really dominant notes, but complex and elusive. Impressive.

After taking several sniffs over several minutes, I finally get around to tasting. Warm and smooth - woody with a hint of toasted, sweetened oats. I get flashes of citrus and vanilla. Nearly as hard to pin down as the nose.

The finish is long and warm - initially all sweetened oats, that fades into creamy oakiness.

Between this and the Astar (the only two Glenmorangies I've had), I'm fast becoming a fan. Complex, balanced, intriguing and excellent value for money. That pretty much sums up the two bottles I own. If the rest of the range are anything like the two I have, it's not hard to see why Glenmorangie is such a big name in the world of whisky.

I totally agree with your review: creamy and a bit sensuous.

I couldn't pass this up when I saw a $30 sale sign on the only bottle in Winn Dixie! Probably the best 30 bucks I ever spent!

I believe a non-Scotch drinker would appreciate this one just before dinner.

I made a present of the last 6 ounces in a handblown Fiji bottle to a beautiful female friend of mine: she loves it!

Quite smooth drink for me. Only if there are too many friends visit my place, I share this big bottle with them (1.5 liter, maybe only available in Taiwan) As for Ardbeg series, I never show to friends. That's for personal enjoyment.

@WhiskyApostle

Nose: Yeast rolls, tart apples and a lot of alcohol. Palate: Birch beer, herbal, faint notes of licorice. Water draws out some caramel sweetness but creates an odd sensation of a crystalline caramel shell with nothing inside. Finish: Short and slightly numbing Comments: I find it odd that Glenmorangie is so often mentioned in the same breath as Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. Both ‘fiddich and ‘livet are Speyside malts while Glenmorangie comes from the Highland region. Furthermore, the taste profiles are very different. Glenmorangie is herbal and slightly medicinal compared to the fruitiness of the other two. The extra alcohol content is small, but prominent. This dram is for a decidedly different palate. While this suits my palate best of the three, I cannot recommend it over the Glenfiddich as a gateway dram.

Completely agree about Glenmorangie being wrongfully grouped together with the other two. Not that i have anything against them, on the contrary actually; I rather enjoy both... but this fine scotch is in a slightly higher level.

Popular Glenmorangie whiskies