Scotland, Northern Highlands: Single malt whisky through the producing distilleries: history, making, production and tasting notes

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Glenmorangie

Description of the whisky

The distillery

Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie Distillery
Tain
Ross-shire
IV19 1PZ
+44 1862 892 477
Owner: Glenmorangie Plc
Creation date 1843

Photos

A brewery was built in 1738 on the land of the farm Morangie, which gave its name to the distillery. Water from the Tarlogie burn was shared by the farm and the brewery, and was used, amongst more, to turn the mill wheel, to wash and colour the wool and to produce dye.
In 1843, William Matheson bought a licence to produce whisky and transformed the brewery into a distillery. He bought two second hand very high gin stills.
In 1887, when the Glenmorangie Distillery Company Ltd was founded, great renovation works took place, and they changed one of the most archaic distilleries into the most modern for the time being. Glenmorangie was the first distillery who warmed its stills with steam, using a serpentine within the still.
Even after this great alteration works, the original shape of the stills was kept. The quality and the refinement of the whisky is partially due to the very high stills, which impeach the heavy spirit to reach the "lyne arm".
The distillery was bought in 1918 by the Mac Donald & Muir society from Leith for 40% and by Mr Durham, whisky broker for the remaining 60%. Durham's parts were taken over by Mac Donald and Muir between 1925 and 1930.
The late twenties, with the recession and the prohibition in the United States, were very hard times for distillers in Europe, and the distillery closed for a while between 1931 and 1936. The second World War also obliged the distillery to close, because barley was very difficult to find. The distillery did not work at its previous level before 1948.
The production capacity was doubled en 1979 and again en 1993. The distillery bought the land where the burn is situated to guarantee water supplying and constant quality.
Glenmorangie experiments on a lot of finishing casks (claret, cognac, madeira, port, malaga, tain L'hermitage, côtes de nuits villages, en so on....) in order to enlarge the aromatic and taste range of its single malt.
About 70% of the production are sold as single malt, the 30 remaining percents being used in blends like "Highland Queen" and "Bailie Nicol Jarvie".
The MacDonald family, owners of the distillery decided to sell their shares in 2004. The French group LVMH is the new owner. The sale is completed in December 2004.

The whisky

A propos des notes de dégustation Your own tasting notes

List of the bottles

Description of the distillery

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Glenmorangie 10 years
Age
 10 years
Alcohol
 43°
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The colour is yellow, and the rich nose has some vegetal, flower and spicy hints with some vanilla wood notes.
The mouths confirms the nose and the final is relatively long.
A good malt, rich and elegant.
Glenmorangie is the great distillery in the North of the Highlands. It's whisky is excellent, and it is not without reasons it is the best seller in UK. The nose detects first dome cut grass hints, which suggests a Lowland whisky. But the spicy character of the first mouth contact denies this fist impression. A lingering and pleasant finish. What a pleasure... A great classic!

At the second tasting, the nose was rather floral, with a kind of discrete cut grass smell and a touch of woody bitterness on the background. In the palate, the first impression is confirmed, with however an accentuation of the bitter character. The finish, pleasant, develops on this bitter notes too.

The nose is specially fresh with its fresh cut grass and lemon notes. Slight mentholated hints above and a light veil of smoke behind. The same freshness impression is in the mouth too. Fruit, green apple, freshness and smoothness. No impressive complexity but quite a pleasant mouth. The finish is marked by hay and mint hints. Not really long but however rather interesting.

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Glenmorangie
Cellar 13
Age
 10 years
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 Bourbon
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The particularity of this selection is the warehouse where it was matured: cellar 13, close to the ocean.
Aging happens in bourbon casks for 10 to 12 years.
The colour is pale yellow. The nose is sweet with wood and fresh sandal, vanilla and wild menthol hints.
The mellow taste recalls malt, toffees, vanilla and honey.
The very long juicy finish recalls the fragrance of the buttercup.
Normally, Cellar 13 is only available in tax free shops
 The difference between Cellar 13 and Glenmorangie 10 years comes from the ageing warehouses. Cellar 13 is near the sea. This whisky lets taste the influence of the sea on the taste and fragrances of a single malt. It is slightly more salted, more iodised, more... than the traditional 10 years old version. In brief, if the Glenmorangie 10 years is excellent, this one is slightly "more" excellent...

A very refined and complex nose, where sweet and salted aromas are mixed, honey and seaweed on a heathery background. In the palate, a pleasant taste of butter and malt, with some slightly woody hints. A nice finish, lingering, recalling butter cake notes.

Some smoke above smells of malt and fruits. A pleasant nose, slightly spiced with hints of yeast and some flower fragrances. Sea whiffs dome and mix to the already described impressions. In the palate, the acidity of the fruits is the first impression and it develops soon on notes both smoother and salted, where malt and flower merge slowly. Nice complexity even if the taste palette is quite limited. The finish is rather surprising as some marshmallow notes follow the bitter hints. Nice length and some domination of the bitter notes.
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Glenmorangie
Port Wood Finish
Age
 10 years +
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 Port
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
  The "Port Wood Finish" is in fact a 10 years old Glenmorangie matured for a certain time in port casks

The colour is pinkish bronze, and the fruity nose is winy.
The palate is first mellow and winy, and then lets appear some more spicy hints, typical for a Glenmorangie.
The oily finish develops on the spices.

 

 A pleasant impression from the beginning. The nose detects a pleasant fragrance of good malt with character, but without complexity. The mouth does not deny this first impression. Port hints come after a while, however they do not dominate. A lingering and interesting finish make from this Glenmorangie "experience" a success. It's price is reasonable too.

The second tasting completely confirmed the conclusions of the first one. Nothing to add...

The port was really present at the third tasting, even if I first thought it was sherry..., with a hint of spices, the whole giving the impression of a "monolithic" whisky. In the palate, a kind of acidity very "sherry" on a malt background, without complexity neither, but not unpleasant. A slightly spicy finish, somewhere between acidity and bitterness.
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Glenmorangie
Sherry Wood Finish
Age
 10 years +
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 Sherry
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros< 25 euros
 
  The "Sherry Wood Finish" is in fact a 10 years old Glenmorangie matured for a certain time in sherry casks

Colour is old gold. The nose is marked by floral hints and traces of sherry.
The palate confirms the nose, with this elegance continuing in ripe fruits and malted barley

 Wood finishes are a specialty of Glenmorangie. Near the classic sherry, port or madeira finishes, the distillery started wine finish experiences. This bottling is probably not representative of all the Glenmorangie experiences, but is is a bit disappointing. The first impression is typically in the Glenmorangie style: sweet and salted fragrances. The taste is pleasant too, with some acid hints (lemon?), but the finish is very short. This is rather disappointing.

At the second tasting, the nose was rather rich, and dominated as well by malt and by sherry. The sherry remains present in the palate, and the sherry in background is still there. The finish was rather pleasant.

The nose gives a nice impression of sweetness, malt mixed with some floral scents and hints of sherry. The palate is relatively sweet too, with however some bitterness, indeed pungency. The whisky is rather complex, now dominated by sherry, now by malt. The finish is pleasant, ans slightly marked by bitter walnut notes.
.
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Glenmorangie
Madeira Wood Finish
Age
 10 years +
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 Madeira
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The "Madeira Wood Finish" is in fact a 10 years old Glenmorangie matured for a certain time in madeira casks

The colour is gold with amber glints. The dry nose, fruity and woody is atypical.
The mouth is dry (madeira influence) and the finish develops some mellow fragrances (woody, fruity, vanilla).

A pleasant malt and nut fragrance opens the way to a complex taste, typical for Glenmorangie. Amongst various experiences by the distillery, this wood finish is probably one of the most successful ones. Behind the nut and citrus fruit fragrances, the great complexity of this malt give a great pleasure, extended by a very long and pleasant finish.

The nose is rather complex, revealing sometimes amazing cut grass hints, sometimes woody and floral ones, on a background of sweet honey. In the palate, the honey sweetness and a kind of bitterness are both present, and the finish is rather long and sweet, with some slightly acid touches, on a woody and fruity background.

The nose is first relatively discrete,spicy with some sherry-like hints, and becomes quickly complexer, with farm smells, dry hay. In the palate, a difficult to describe taste, complex, with slightly acid hints (orange) ans malty notes, even some chocolate touches. A nice finish, spicy, long and warm, where the palate complexity remains for a great deal.
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Glenmorangie
Burgundy Wood Finish
Age
 10 years +
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 Burgundy Wine
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The "Burgundy Wood Finish" is in fact a 10 years old Glenmorangie matured for a certain time in Burgundy wine casks (Côte d'Or)
 A slight hint of smoke or peat, behind a nose dominated by flowers and incidentally by malt. The taste is really nice, sweet and without any lack of character. A long and pleasant finish, with a touch of chocolate.

The second tasting was also marked by the very sweet character of this malt. The slightly salted character of Glenmorangie is not present here. It is obviously a very great vintage...

The conclusions of the third tasting are that both the nose and the taste are very pleasant, with some hints of pepper and spices. This bottling is really a great success.

The nose is rather fresh and floral hints are present in this whisky. In the palate, a pleasant sweetness, some very light salty and rather spicy notes followed by a touch of bitterness. A rather long finish with floral hints and some spices.

The nose is floral and peppery with slight cereal hints on the background. The palate confirms the nose, with this peppery and salty touches. The finish is pleasant and relatively long.

A very nice nose, pleasantly perfumed with nice hay and plum jam hints. Touches of liquorice and cut grass.
In the palate, nice candied fruity notes, some malt and a touch of nutty fragrances. The mouth seems to be less interesting than the nose was, however is remains rather pleasant. Salty notes and a touch of spices.
The finish is warm and relatively long, and apart form slightly woody hints and a memory of malt, nothing really special, except may be some peppery notes which appear after a while.
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Glenmorangie 18 years
Age
 18 years
Alcohol
 43°
Cask
 new
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
  The colour is gold-yellow. The nose detects wax and cereals (malt). The mouth, nearby cereals develops on ripe fruits (pear).
The oily finish reveals honey and sweet spices.

The particularity of this malt is it's finishing for 6 months in new barrels (this does not happen often in Scotland).

 The first nose contact detects a very good product, however the finishing in new wood can be disappointing. The slightly bitter aftertaste confirms the fist nosing. A drop of water arranges it. The bitter character disappears, and a lingering finish makes everything good. A good bottle, especially for Glenmorangie lovers.

A second tasting modifies slightly the first conclusions. The nose, clearly marked by the malt and the taste, also influenced by the cereals are rather pleasant, and the rating has been modified this time. The finish does not deny the pleasure of the nosing and tasting.

A very pleasant and quite complex nose, with hints of malt and slightly spicy touches. The palate is rather complex too, developing from malt flavours to slightly woody aromas, with some remote unripe walnut notes, and then going back to malt. The bitter finish is pleasant too.

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Glenmorangie
Traditional
Age
 10 years
Alcohol
 57,2°
Particularity
 Cask Strength
Bottler
 Official
=25 euros=25 euros< 25 euros
 
 The colour is pale, the nose marked by floral hints and dry fruits.
The powerful mouth is spicy and recalls cereals. It develops on herb (cut hay) and fruit (pear) hints.
The finish is malted, with a hint of smoke.
 A good bottle, a traditional Glenmorangie... A character full cask strength. The high alcohol percentage does not spoil the general impression.

At the second tasting, this bottle reveals all its secrets. A very pleasant nose, with some grass hints announces a very great whisky. The palate is first s bit surprised by the slightly acid character of this malt, but it appears rapidly that the taste is wonderful, and the high alcohol degree does not hinder at all. A long finish, developing on the malt gives the whole a specially good character. A very good bottling.

The nose is rather discrete and fresh, and some remote hints of cut grass are present. The palate is much more expressive and complex, from bitter orange to cereal and spices. A nice spicy finish. A good bottle.

Nice floral and fruity hints at the first nosing, and the freshness of cut grass mixed to discrete citrus touches characterize the nose. The mouth is first marked by citrus fruits (orange) and then developes on malt and spices, then on ripe fruits. Alcohol is present, but doest not hinder the tasting. The finish is long and quite dry.
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Glenmorangie
Artisan Cask
1995
Age
 No age statement
Alcohol
 46°
Cask
 first fill hogshead
=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros=25 euros
Glenmorangie Artisan cask
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Northern Highlands

Northern Highlands map

Most of the distilleries of that area are settled on the wild and windy seaside between Narin and John 'O Groats, on the Eastern coast.

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Click on the map for a list of the distilleries of the area, on the title for further information about the Northern Highlands area, and if you want to make an "alphabetical journey" through the area, please click on one of the pagode roofs, according to the direction you want to follow

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