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KWM 2021 Whisky Calendar Day 12: Glenmorangie 10 Year Old

Posted on December 12, 2021

by Evan

For Day Twelve, we have a tried-and-true dram in our Whisky Calendar.  Perhaps it will be your first time having it. Possibly it is an old friend and you have a bottle on your whisky shelf already. Or maybe you are like me and it has been a long time since you have tasted the Glenmorangie 10 Year Old Original.

Glenmorangie Distillery resides in the Highlands in Tain near the mouth of the Dornoch Firth, just before it meets with the North Sea. Its nearest neighbours include the small and very young Dornoch Distillery which is a 12-minute drive to the north across the Dornoch Firth Bridge and the Balblair Distillery which is around a 10-minute drive west. The Dalmore and Teaninich Distilleries are a 25-minute drive to the south and west along the A9.

Known for its taller than usual stills, Glenmorangie Distillery was legally founded in 1843, though there are records of distilling on the property dating back to at least the mid-1700s. Compared to many other Scottish distilleries, Glenmorangie has been relatively stable production-wise over its history: There was a five-year period of silence from 1931 to 1936, but since then Glenmorangie was been consistently operating except for the usual equipment placement and off months.

Glenmorangie's unusually tall stills. Traditional Scottish Highland Band used to show scale. Photo taken from Glenrmorangie's Facebook page.

Its ownership history is similar as it has only changed hands a few times over the past century and a half. The most recent change happened in 2004 when the Macdonald family which owned Glenmorangie PLC sold the company to luxury goods producer LVMH. The Ardbeg and Glen Moray distilleries also came with Glenmorangie in the sale to the conglomerate. LVMH stands for Louis Vuitton Moet-Hennessy and owns many different brands both in apparel and spirits. Apparel brands include Tag-Heuer, Sephora, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, and many more. On the spirits side, LVMH owns Belvedere Vodka, Dom Perignon, Krug, Veuve Clicquot, Chateau d'Yquem, Chateau Chevel Blanc, Cloudy Bay and much more as well. 

Being owned by a company with that kind of brand power has allowed Glenmorangie (and Ardbeg as well) to not have to worry about enticing outside investors or justify upgrades to production for quite a while. It has also guaranteed worldwide distribution of its whisky, which is part of the reason for Glenmorangie currently being the 5th best-selling single malt Scotch brand globally.

What has gotten sales to that point is Glenmorangie's core range, which includes the 10-Year-Old Original we will be tasting today as well as a series of three different cask finishes. These are the Lasanta (Sherry cask finish), the Quinta Rubin (finished in port casks), and the Nectar D'Or (Sauternes cask finish). The 18-Year-Old and Glenmorangie Signet are also typically available and the 15-Year-Old Cadboll Estate which is made using barley harvested from Glenmorangie's own fields is a new addition to the lineup.

Back the Glenmorangie 10-Year-Old Original: The whisky we will be tasting today is the distillery's flagship bottle. It is 10 years old and matured entirely in ex-bourbon casks. Shalt we try it out?

Glenmorangie Original 10 Year Old - 40%

Evan’s Tasting Note

Nose: Earthy starch notes mingle with oak spices. Mocha, toasted almonds, shelled peanuts and peach cobbler served with vanilla custard.

Palate: Plantain chips, chocolate mousse, camomile tea with honey, apple juice and a touch of mint leaf and some minerality.

Finish: Short and clean with just light fruit and oak at the end.

Comment: As always, this remains a solid whisky. It won't knock your socks off with complexity but it will keep you coming back for more.

The starch notes on this are slightly reminiscent of the Tullibardine 500 Sherry from Day Nine, but the malt is not quite as expressive, possibly thanks to the minerality keeping things more closed off, short and clean on the palate. I personally prefer the more expressive Irish Whiskey we tasted yesterday, but what do you think? Drop me a line to let me know!

Cheers,
Evan
evan@kensingtonwinemarket.com
Twitter and Instagram: @sagelikefool

This entry was posted in Whisky, Tastings, Whisky Calendars, KWM Whisky Calendar 2021

 

 

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