Glenmorangie 1993 Ealanta 19 Year Old Virgin Oak Casks

Glenmorangie Ealanta is the fourth Private Edition Glenmorangie malt, having followed Sonnalta PX, Finealta, and Artein. Release began February 2013. Jim Murray recently named Ealanta the World Whisky of the Year in his 2014 Whisky Bible. Glenmorangie Ealanta was aged 19 years in new toasted, but not charred, oak barrels. The reviewed bottle is freshly opened. I will add comments, etc., as needed if the bottle changes appreciably over time

Nose: Apple, fresh-cut, sitting in a pool of old Cognac. The barley-malt comes across as apple in Ealanta. Minus the orange and pear, this smells and tastes very similar to the Glenmorangie base malt from Glenmorangie Original, from which it is derived. In addition to the apple, you smell many fine 19 years brewing nuanced shades of the toasted new oak. This is all about apple and toasted new oak. The nose is very smooth with a very mellow balance of both flavours and sweet and dry

Taste: the apple and nuanced wood come out strongly on the palate with much increased sweetness. There is vanilla and Brazil nuts present, in the wood. Sawdust. This is very tasty, if you like these particular flavours

Finish: Nice Jim Murray-style balanced finish. Long and sweet

Balance: really, this Glenmorangie Ealanta might just as well be a medium-sweet apple cordial, or a very funky and unusually sweet Calavados. All of the flavours are nice enough, and very mellow, but are they delicious? To me, the barley is actually rather boring here, and most of the interest is in the wood. Toasted new oak gives a lot of nuance. They had to use toasted oak because 19 years of aging in new CHARRED oak would have resulted in a whisky in which you would not be able to taste any barley. But barley is not the best grain to use even with toasted oak, and especially this barley isn't. I can only get so excited by this apple-flavoured barley-malt. Old Potrero 18th Century Style (rye) Whiskey is just so much more interesting using toasted new oak. Don't get me wrong, this is a very nice and pleasant malt whisky. I just don't see this style of flavour profile ever becoming very popular. It is beautifully mellow and balanced. It is just not that DELICIOUS

First vapor: Potpourri; containing some pine and heavy on the dried rose petals. [This floral impression never returns, except maybe very late in the finish.]

Nose: A wheaty and sweet waffle cone. For a few minutes the cone is filled with salty almond-nougat, but this transforms into orange-pineapple in a white chocolate base. At first, pine pricks the nose substantially. A bit of breathing creates a surprisingly thick nose, like smelling an eclair pastry with a light glaze of pineapple-orange.

Palate: Creamy entrance quickly becomes hot with ginger, over dried pineapple; remains creamy throughout the first phase. When the heat and pineapple eventually subside, a wave of vanilla rises..., and then honey & nougat follow up into the finish.

Finish: Back to vanilla, with the ginger heat tickling in and out. An impression of creamy cinnamon apricot on exhale, and still a bit pepper in the cheeks.

The Ealanta manages to convey richness (with a satisfyingly creamy mouthfeel) and strength (with gingery spice), while still providing a light & refreshing flavor set. The overall impression is of dried pineapple-nut-ginger-vanilla, accented with floral notes. No overt bitterness to speak of, just a slight white pepperiness somewhere in the finish. These combined impressions make this a top contender for favorite "light" malt: the Ealanta is elegant yet substantial.

...For this reason, finding comparisons is difficult. Within Glenmorangies, my reaction was similar to the Artein, in finding it light yet full (and on par in quality); but the Artein is more raspberry rather than nuts and dried pineapple. The Ealanta's creamy texture bears more similarity to the Sonnalta or especially the Signet; but again, the flavors are different. Otherwise, my closest comparison is Glenfiddich's 21 (Caribbean Rum Finish), which approaches the same texture and has similar flavors (orange, nut, vanilla, ginger), but is less spicy and is a tad lighter. Between these 2, my preference actually falls to the Ealanta, for being bolder. (And as of today's date, the price favors it as well.)

Glenmorangie is the brand that first pulled me away from peaty lands of Islay after I tasted both the Qunita Ruban and Nector D'or at one of the few whisky bars in Perth called Helvetica's and enjoyed them both immensely. So when I spied the Ealanta on a scouting trip to a little boutique bottle shop called Devine Cellars, my minds amazing ability to justify the purchase kicked in and led to me leaving the store with grin in place and bottle in hand. I will admit that the spiel about Mark Twain may have played a part as well...

3 months later the bottle is finished and below are the tasting notes from a session with a good friend of mine.

Colour: light gold silk

Nose: Instant memories of childhood Vanilla milk chews! Initially this reminded me of a very smooth bourbon however following the initial nosing more of the background flavours started rolling in. Hints of orange and maple custard with a sting of freshly shaved wood. After a few minutes i started getting a residual scent of dark butterscotch. (22)

Palate: Hmmm initial flavour is a hit of creamy oak, this then transforms on the tongue to a strong vanilla followed by a wave of spice; cloves, pepper and cinnamon. (22)

Finish: The finish is the nose bought to life, a beautiful flood of candied vanilla and milk chews dominates with a slight burnt caramel twist. If I lick around my mouth the spices are there buzzing on the back of cheeks (23)

Balance: Everything just works together so well. The nose transforms on the palate into something with a bit more kick and then returns to its original form on the finish. Very easy drinking, soooo easy. (22)

Final Score of 89

An amazingly tasty whisky, the Ealanta is not the most complex in regards to the flavours that can be discovered, but it is very moorish. So far this bottle has bought two new drinkers into the whisky fold and i am yet to share this with someone who has not enjoyed it. The only issue i have is that of every bottle i have ever owned this one lived the shortest life...and that makes me sad.

The new kid on the block in the so-called Private Collection by Glenmorangie is this Ealanta. I tried the Sonnalta PX, Artein and Finealta before, they were all to my liking. This Ealanta matured on virgin oak for 19 years. Virgin oak means the cask was never used before. It it non-chillfiltered. Ealanta is Gaelic for ‘skilled and ingenious’. Ah, those marketing kids, eh? I got me a sample at a recent festival.

The nose is slightly prickly and fruity. Creamy, too. Candied and sugared orange peel leads a whole range of underlying fruits. Pineapple, apricots and even a hint of mango. Quite a bit of mint. Slightly tropical, let us say. Discrete vanilla (becoming louder all the time), butterscotch and bresilliene. Vanilla ice cream with pineapple sauce, that is it! Finally some oak in the shape of wood shavings.

The attack is creamy and very spicy. The virgin oak offers some peppers, cinnamon and a mild touch of mint. Vanilla and pineapple return in full force, upholstered with honey, zesty orange peel and mandarin. The bresilliene becomes almonds. Very attractive indeed.

The long finish lingers on vanilla, white pepper and rough wood.

Seems Bill Lumsden can create beauties without Rachel Barrie (joke). He has not lost his magic touch. Just under 100 EUR.

This is a just opened review. Been sipping on it this evening and wanted to post a few thoughts. First, price. This was 130.00 in TN. That puts it 50.00 over previous Private Editions, and about 20.00 less than Signet (which can be had online for 150.00). I found 2 of the earlier Private Editions, Sonnalta PX, and Artein, to be exemplary whiskies. I have bunkered several of each. My last Glenmornangie experience was with their 18YO. Not so good in my book. I approached this with some trepidation, but as only a case arrived in Nashville, I figured I had better grab one now.

First Impressions: Smell is white chocolate and nougat. Could this be the opposite of the Signet maybe? Coffee presents itself in this nose as well, more of a mocha. And sadly, I get a bit of the 18 lingering around in the background.

First tastes are stewed fruits. Peach pie with no sugar. There is a bit of a sourness here. Happily, it does not linger. The white chocolate returns transforming into vanilla.

Nice burn, nice finish. Long, hot, pleasant. Peach cobbler.

This is good. However, I would put it behind the Sonnalta PX, Artein, or Signet. And unless I find it at a much cheaper price, not a repeat purchase.