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Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

A Fruity Little Number

5 588

@RianCReview by @RianC

11th Dec 2018

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  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Balance
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  • Overall
    88

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

If I'm not mistaken this was one of the first Scottish malts to make a feature of finishing their whisky in wine casks; specifically, port in this instance. I'm generally not the biggest fan of finished whiskys but this comes with a bit of pedigree and it's possibly the first exclusively port finished whisky I've had. Ten years in ex-bourbon casks and then two years in port pipes to be precise, so, in fairness, a decent enough amount of time to let the port wood work its magic. It's also decently priced, available and presented in a 'modern' way. Nice!

Review is from a neat pour from a 3/4 full bottle, sat 15 mins or so and been open just over a month.

Nose - Fresh, creamy and just lovely. And it was very enticing from the get go. Blackberries, strawberries - think a bowl of red/purple summer berries with some fresh mint leaves and cream and your not far off. Vanilla, a hint of rum, and a slight gingery prickle that lets you know it really is a whisky. There's some soft oak (a touch of musty warehouse perhaps?) and cinnamon bark spice that mingles with a slightly bitter lemon malt base. Surprisingly balanced.

Taste - Sweet, fruity arrival but it develops pleasingly into more of the spices and oak notes that help to tone down the sweetness. Alcoholic Vimto (which is a berry cordial in the UK). Becomes more sour towards the finish. Balanced, again. Nice creamy mouthfeel too.

Finish - Short to medium. I wouldn't describe it as cloying at all but you are left with a sweetness that really clings on alongside some some mild tannins.

With a few drops of water the richness of the mouthfeel quickly fades and becomes weaker on the finish. More of the bitter lemon and malty notes come out on the nose. Lighter and fruitier on the taste. I think I may like the taste better neat but the rest as is.

I have to add that I love the colour of this, it has a definite pink tinge which is quite pretty and unusual. I expect this will keep changing as more air gets to it as it has already started to mellow out nicely and take on more of the malt base into the fresh port notes. What pleases me most is its ability to be full on with the fruity notes without ever being too much or taking on a syrupy quality. In short, a great step up from the Ten and one I'd be happy to recommend, especially as an aperitif or after dinner whisky. Also goes beautifully with Porter ale.

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5 comments

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

Thanks for your review. I agree that this is a pleasant drop. Your rating is pretty close to how I would have scored it, going solely from memory (I think I have it scored as an 87/100 whisky somewhere). I went to a Glenmorangie/Ardbeg tasting last year and this was my favourite of the Glenmo lineup (only the Ardbeg Ten was better imho). Definitely a nice after-dinner sipper.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@OdysseusUnbound - Thanks! I don't reach for this that often but when I'm in the mood for something sweeter it works well.

I also meant I like the taste with water better and the rest neat not the the way round - doh!

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@RianC, thanks for your review. If you read earlier reviews of and comments on Quinta Ruban you will see that some of us 5-7 years back had some Quinta Ruban which was just very disjointed, incoherent, and un-delicious at first, but which came together after a great deal of time (10-12 months in my case) of bottle open time. After the long open bottle time my bottle of the whisky was very good indeed and stayed that way. Be aware that these variations are possible with batches of Quinta Ruban. It sounds like Glenmorangie has been doing a better job with Quinta Ruban in the last several years than they did in the early years of its release. FWIW that first bottle of Quinta Ruban left me the strong impression not to buy it again, because I didn't want to have to wait a year for it to get good. Maybe it is safe for me to go back into that Quinta Ruban water (of life) again now.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

@RianC
RianC commented

@Victor - Well, I do think you'd like this bottle! As I hint at in the review, it's both gained something and lost something already with air time. The first few pours were a little crisper and had more overt port notes - it was still delicious. It is definitely developing with air though and I suspect, if it continues in this vein, that the port and barley notes will continue to mingle nicely.

5 years ago 0

@MadSingleMalt
MadSingleMalt commented

Quinta Ruban is one of the little unsung heroes of the modern whisky landscape. And a steal at $38!

5 years ago 1Who liked this?

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