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Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish

Average score from 2 reviews and 2 ratings 79

Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish

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@markjedi1
Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish

Glenmorangie gave this whisky, after its regular maturation on bourbon casks, a finish on port pipes. I tasted it H2H against the newer release, the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban.

On the nose, the malt is overpowered by the, in this case fortified, wine. After the initial sweet burst, it turns sour quite rapidly. It even reminds me of glühwein, although that may be due to the time of year. After that, it even becomes a little un-fresh. Cardboard and mould.

On the palate I get an instant pleasant mix of sweet (toffee, raisins) and sour (port), but then rosewater kicks in. Toward the end, it turns somewhat bitter.

The finish, medium in length, goes back down the sour path.

Yet another wine finish that cannot convince. About 40 EUR, but hard to find.

I've been fortunate to find two bottles of this Glenmorangie PW finish and have enjoyed them immensely. I detect cherry, chocolate and licorice notes on the nose, raspberry and raisiny notes on the palate, with the finish being somewhat oaky and short. I would rate this out of print item (it's been superseded by the Quinta Ruban) at a very respectable 88.

@jwise

It was my understanding that this whisky had been discontinued, so much to my surprise when I saw not one, but TWO bottles on the shelf at an out-of-the-way package store today! I started seeing other visions of grandeur as well, and expressions from distilleries that I had never seen. I quickly realized that I had not died and gone to Whisky Heaven, but this shop was once a Mecca for uppity Scotch drinkers, but had been sold to a mom-and-pop (along with the fancy-schmancy inventory) when the area started to go downhill. Now, this once great liquor store for the up-and-coming whisky drinkers was a no-tell motel of sorts for $5 Taka vodka drinkers (no kidding, another guy in the store was buying a $5 bottle of Taka vodka while I was looking through the lock-up!)

Well, I now know where to go to get some REALLY nice whiskies!

Enough about the shop I'll never tell anyone about... On with the show!

Nose: really nice notes coming out that I would expect from a portwood finished whisky. Honey and vanilla are present; just a slight oakiness. As one of my all-time favorites is the Balvenie 21yr Portwood, this whisky will have a LOT of ground to cover in its short 12yrs to match up against that giant of the malts. Very nice aromas, not so strong like sherry finished whiskies, but softer, more subdued. Not weak, mind you, but different. A sweetness that is not as fruity, but more coconut sweet.

Body: The body is mature, standing up nicely. Smooth, with a rich texture.

Palate: The soft honey aromas deliver as promised. The whisky builds somewhat with intensity, opening up with spicy notes, but not so it distracts. I must admit I was hoping for something as unique as the 21yr Portwood, so this is not going to live up to the expectations. However, for 1/3 the price of the 21yr, it is no surprise. The nose and finish on this whisky is probably its strongest assets. The palate is nice, but not very dynamic. I begin to wonder if it is indeed a 43%, or a mis-labeled 40% whisky. Perhaps this should have been bottled at 46%?

Finish: Interesting! Not as I expected, but VERY good! It is pretty long, releasing spicy notes as an orange marmalade of aromas explodes in the mouth. Not citrusy at all (no orange zest, or orange peel), but a very nicely rounded orange marmalade without the tangy tart taste. I wish I had better words to describe this flavor, but alas, I do not. There is some pepper in the back, and it really is drawing me in. As opposed to other whiskies that I want to hold in my mouth forever (Macallan Cask Strength), this one just WANTS to be swallowed to release its power. I guess this isn't such a bad thing after all...

Absolutely no smoke, no sea-spray, and not even a whiff of peat. This is a very clean whisky, and extremely refreshing.

As a discontinued whisky, I am trying to decide whether I want to go back to my hidey-hole and pick up another bottle for "long-term storage." Not that I necessarily think it is going to go up in value or anything, but it is a very unique whisky that I would like to drink again many years from now. I'm telling ya- that finish is GREAT!

I came back to this whisky tonight, and everything checked out as described! The finish was just as magnificent, the whisky delivered orange marmalade on the palate, and the nose was just fantastic.

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