Facts

Nose

A lovely fruitiness of ripe yellow plums, very pleasant. Next come Pears, apricots, tangerine peels and strawberry yogurt, rounded off by orange honey and vanilla beans. The alcohol is nicely integrated.

Taste

Sweet creamy, yet surprisingly rich and strong. Again apricots and yellow plums as well as peaches. Black pepper corns and oak, the light spiciness adds another layer of complexity. Gets dryer towards the end.

Finish

Medium. Spicy oak joined by apricots and peach tea.

Overall

A honest, yet somewhat untypical Ben Nevis with a great balance of fruit and oak. Needs time in the glass to open up.

Score: good but not exceptional (86 / 100)

Sample provided by whic.de

Facts

Nose

Kinda cheesy… no seriously, there is literally some sort of cheese upfront… maybe Parmesan? Then mashed bananas, hard caramel, raisins and slightly burnt vanilla crescents, followed by icing sugar and wholemeal flour.

Taste

Fruity, yet intense. Sweet malt, ginger, caramel and cooked bananas with nutmeg. Hints of oak.

Finish

Long and drying. Oak alongside some fruits. A bit of smoked cheese perhaps.

Overall

Maybe not the “classic” festive bottling I would expect, but very interesting and extremely tasty once you get used to cheese aroma.

Score: good but not exceptional (86 / 100)

Alright, the first one for today is a Ben Nevis 1995 bottled by Wilson & Morgan as part of their Barrel Selection bottling series.

Facts

Nose

Sticky and sweet with lots of maraschino cherries, tropical fruits and oranges. Soft caramel and honeyed raisins. Maybe a tiny bit of smoke, too.

Taste

Intense, the high strength is definitely notable now. At first rather sour with grapefruit and sour cherries, but it gets spicy and woody pretty quickly. Some dried tea leaves appear towards the end.

Finish

Medium, peppery and a bit fruity.

Overall

A really exciting and engaging nose, but the rest is a bit of a let down.

Score: good but not exceptional (83 / 100)

Milsean is the seventh, and therefore latest, annual release in the Private Edition series from Glenmorangie. Milsean is Scots Gaelic for “sweet things” and gives you already a pretty good idea what this expression is all about. But before we delve more into this, let me say how happy I am to see that Glenmorangie is taking the Private Edition series back to its roots because for me, this series is all about special and well selected casks. So yeah, I am really excited for that expression, especially after the pretty disappointing Tùsail from last year.

Anyways, Milesan was finished in re-toasted wine casks after a first maturation in ex-Bourbon barrels. Now, I find wine finishes always a bit tricky, because there is not much middling ground. They are either hit or miss, at least in my opinion. That said, Glenmorangie released with the Companta a truly superb wine finished expression a few years ago, so I have some high hopes when it comes to the Milsean.

As for the packaging, I don’t really mind it as much as some others do. To be honest, I somewhat like this retro candy shop look and I think it just fits the “sweet things” theme.

Facts

Nose

Definitely lives up to its name. Just imagine a big cup filled with coconut, citrus and mint ice cream. With raspberry sauce. And roasted almonds. And gummy bears. And vanilla marshmallows. And some cocktail cherries on top. And while I find all this sweetness rather pleasant, it feels also a bit artificial at times.

Taste

Fruity and very sweet as expected, but there is also an interesting spicy touch. Vanilla and coconut as well as William Pears, balanced by oak, but without the bitterness. Overripe mangoes alongside hints of plums, oranges and honey.

Finish

Medium to long. Sweet and slightly bitter with warming spices. Candied ginger together with some fruits, hard to tell which ones though. Altogether a little bit flat.

Overall

Not very complex, but almost dangerously tasty. Does the Milsean bring the Privat Edition back to its former glory? No, it doesn’t, at least in my opinion. But at least the series is back on the right track, so let’s see what next year brings!

Score: good but not exceptional (86 / 100)

Sample provided by spiritscorner.eu

Glenmorangie The Tayne (old spelling for Tain) is the latest addition to the Legends bottling series, a collection of single malts exclusive to Travel Retail. This expression was inspired by the legend of a Spanish Galleon which sunk in the Dornoch Firth (than known as the Firth of Tayne) after it got separated from the Spanish Armada during the England invasion in 1588. In connection with the theme, The Tayne was finished in ex-Amontillado casks.

As reported by the Whisky Gospel, The Tayne and The Duthac will become permanent additions at Travel Retail, replacing the trio of Nectar D’Or, Lasanta and Quinta Ruban. But no worries, all three expressions will be still available in normal shops.

Facts

Nose

Very, very light. Roasted nuts, maybe not the roasted chestnuts from the official tasting notes, but definitely some macadamia nuts and cashews, and maybe some walnuts as well. Espresso sweetened with brown sugar, honeyed raisins and chocolate-covered coffee beans. Sweet red grapes and figs. Candy floss. Floral hints in the back.

Taste

Oily, warming and spicy. Citrus peels, mangoes and papayas. Burnt popcorn with caramel sauce. Hints of walnuts and coffee.

Finish

Medium to long and slightly spicy. Dried fruits, milk chocolate, bitter citrus fruits and coffee.

Overall

A bit different, but definitely tasty and very enjoyable. That said, I think this expression would benefit from a higher strength (let’s say 46% ABV).

Score: good but not exceptional (84 / 100)

Sample provided by spiritscorner.eu

So another — what else would you expect —  limited edition (UK only), this time inspired by Glenmorangie’s tradition to treat The Sixteen Men of Tain with a special whisky for the holiday season. A Midwinter Night’s Dram was first matured in ex-Bourbon casks and was then finished in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks. Sounds familiar to me…

Facts

Nose

Creamy with a soft sweetness. Sweet oranges, lots of them. Canned pears, bottled cherries and dried fruits. Reminds me of warm wassail. Walnuts and macadamia nuts. Toffee. More oaky and minty after a while. Yes, very wintry indeed.

Taste

Warm and spicy. Walnuts and burnt caramel, alongside hints of oranges, ginger and honey. Dark chocolate creme with citrus peels. Some peppery oak in the back.

Finish

Short and warming with a dry creaminess of sweet malt and green walnuts.

Overall

Doesn’t disappoint, but doesn’t add anything new either. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very solid expression for sure, but in my opinion, they just repacked the old Lasanta and slapped a higher price tag on it. Why spend the extra bucks when I can get the “original” for a fraction of the price?

Score: good but not exceptional (84 / 100)

Alright, Dornoch is a limited travel retail edition inspired by the Dornoch Firth, the shore where Glenmorangie is located. In order to preserve this beautiful estuary, Glenmorangie makes a donation to the Marine Conservation Society for every bottle sold.

But enough of the backstory, let’s talk about the whisky itself. Dornoch combines whisky matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks and lightly peated whisky finished in ex-Amontillado Sherry casks and comes without an age statement but with a pretty high price tag (around 75€).

By the way, a new travel retail bottling named Glenmorangie Talogan will replace the Dornoch in March or April.

Facts

Nose

Very light. Grass, hey and even some raw malt. Roasted almonds and peanuts, hard caramel and Granny Smiths. Maybe some vanilla, too. Undertones of floral perfume.

Taste

Lots of lemons. Nougat, apple juice and a few oranges. Oak. Hints of mint chocolate. Perhaps some minimal smoke with a lot of good will.

Finish

Medium. Lemon candies,caramel and a tiny bit vanilla.

Overall

Solid, but not a lot more. Could be a nice entry level expression with the right price tag.

Score: average but worth a try ( 80 / 100)

Sample provided by spiritscorner.eu

Alright, the first one for today is The Taghta, which is Scots Gaelic for ‘The Chosen’. A fitting name because Glenmorangie tried something new by letting fans in over 30 countries decide about things like the finishing cask, the name or the label design through online polls, making it the “world’s first crowdsourced whisky”.

Speaking of the finishing cask, Manzanilla is a dry, delicate and sometimes salty kind of fino sherry.  A unusual choice perhaps, but I’m all up for some variety.

Facts

Nose

At first maybe sweeter than expected, but the Manzanilla comes definitely through after a short while. Big sweet oranges, canned pears and dried lemons, followed by salted almonds and milk chocolate with caramel. Interesting notes of green olives. Hints of the typical Glenmorangie floweriness in the back. Altogether very elegant, but maybe a bit too light.

Taste

Quite acid, although there is a light sweetness, too. Frozen lemon custard, raisin liqueur and candied ginger. Whiffs of white pepper. Pickled olives.

Finish

Rather medium with a dry saltiness. Candied ginger, lemon bonbons, orange marmalade, walnuts. A bit of white pepper.

Overall

Interesting, but a bit all over the place. Maybe Ex-Manzanilla Casks weren’t the best choice, because they don’t match that well with the spirit.

Score: good but not exceptional (81 / 100)

Sample provided by spiritscorner.eu

1972 — Just think about it: The Watergate scandal. The Godfather is released in cinemas (one of my all-time favorite movies!). West Germany beats the Soviet Union to win the Euro. I mean, this whisky was distilled 15 years before I was born! Tasting such an old whisky is like traveling back in time, or at least it is for me.

Facts

Nose

Sweet and syrupy. Something between rum molasses and rum pot. Fruity notes of dark berries, cocktail cherries and overripe kiwis. A few milled nuts.

Taste

Syrupy and fruity. Cherry syrup. Bitter citrus fruits and dark chocolate. Dried herb mix, alongside milk chocolate and dried tobacco leaves. Hints of herb liqueur and tea. Maybe some oak, but not a lot.

Finish

Long with a bitter dryness. Dark chocolate, sweet tobacco and cherries with cinnamon.

Overall

By far not as complex and deep as expected, but very palatable and definitely not overaged. That being said, I had already younger Ben Nevis more to my liking. Older doesn’t always mean better, I guess.

Score: very good and highly recommended (87 / 100)

©Bert Rutkowski (www.whiskyetc.nl)

As you can see, there is a six-year-long production gap because the distillery was mothballed from 1996 to May 2002. So certain expressions are much older than the label says, which means that the version I am reviewing today is actual 18 or 19 years old (not sure about the bottling date).

The first “real” 15 Years Old will be released in 2017 or 2018 and it will be interesting to see how it will compare to today’s version.

Facts

GlenDronach Revival 15 Years Old

Nose

Sweet sherry with fruity notes of plum jam, oranges, blackberries and raspberries. Melted nougat, cinnamon powder and honeyed raisins. Some sugared pecans. Whiffs of fire cracker smoke in the back.

Taste

More vibrant than expected. Lots of dried fruits. Dates, figs and sweet oranges. Milk chocolate. Hints of ginger, cinnamon and nougat.

Finish

Long with a spicy sweetness. Milk chocolate and red berries. Oranges in sherry.

Overall

Don’t get me wrong, this is a pretty good sherried whisky, but I don’t get all the praise. It’s really not that impressive to me. Maybe it’s the batch?

Score: 85 / 100