New Glenmorangie and Arran expressions...

[jazznut]

Sat down with a couple of good friends last Friday evening over a few (well, actually a fair number ) of whiskies, including Pappy Van Winkle 15YO and George T. Stagg, not to mention Bowmore 1990 Sherry Cask, Clynelish 14YO and Macallan 12YO.

However, two newcomers to the proceedings ended up being very interesting pours.

Glenmorangie's The Quinta Ruban (which ostensibly replaces the consistent and capably excellent Port Wood Finish version) has the upper hand on its previous incarnation owing to a sage 46%ABV bottling strength and lack of chill-filtering. It certainly is a crisper, more lively dram than the silky, soothing Port Wood, and displays an orange liqueur-like demeanour, perhaps with undercurrents of ripe apricots. From mid palate through to finish, there is plenty of peppery spice, probably from the influence of the Port casks utilized. The distillery literature boasts of central characteristics of chocolate and mint. However, while I did discern the chocolate, the purported mint proved too elusive for my taste buds - at least this time around. I know some bad press has been circulating regarding a certain bitter quality in this whisky. Nonetheless, I quite liked it on first acquaintance. But then I'm a sucker for any spirit with an edge! As always, more tasting required.

Now for the real kicker... First off, I'd like to admit point-blank that I'm a big fan of Arran, which is quite amazing given how young this distillery operation still is. The fairly recent 10YO 46%ABV bottling is as effortless to drink as any Springbank or Scapa, and just as beguiling. And that cask-strength ex-Boubon barrel version I've almost worked my way through is truly excellent. So when I noticed that the LCBO had received a shipment of three new special wood finish cask-strength Arrans, I immediately telephoned a close friend in Toronto to alert him as well as to request that he set aside a bottle for me. I passed on the Cognac-finish and Cream Sherry-finish editions, opting instead for the Amarone cask-finish. Good choice!

This one clocks in at 55%ABV, and has a lovely deep, rich reddish hue. The flavour exhibits those telltale Arran signs of lush malt and subtle salt, then adds a very, very thick overlay of incredibly ripe, grape-derived fruitiness. It's dry from mid palate to finish - mouth-puckeringly bone dry, in fact. My friend and I were both astounded by this dryness.

I looked at him and said, "Now I want to try something just to see what happens. I have a sneaking suspicion..."

A drop or two of water went into both of our glasses. We sipped again. Wow! A complete 180º shift had transpired, with those malt and fruit notes suddently acquiring a dessert-like sweetness. Now, I've experienced such transformations before upon adding water to whisky, but never to such a degree.

Bottom line - keep an eye on the whisky from Arran distillery, in whatever form it appears. There's liquid gold to be had.

[SMOKINACTUARY]

You couldn't taste mint in the Quinta Rubin? Your taste buds SUCK!!!!

[jazznut]

That's what my friend said. I suppose I'll just have to bite into some fresh chocolate mint leaves before sipping my next dram of the Glenmorangie.

[dz130]

Wow. This sounds good.

[debaire]

Not sure if this is the place to ask but...I was at my local Trader Joe's and they had the Glenmorangie in the four different cask finishes: port, sherry, madeira and burdgundy. What are the differences? I've had port and sherry finished in different single malts so I opted for the burgundy. The label made it sound interesting. I haven't tried it yet...but for $35, it was worth a risk.

[jazznut]

Those Glenmorangie editions are now left-overs from the previous series of wine cask-finished whiskies issued by the distillery. All were bottled at 43%ABV.

I never got around to tasting the Burgundy Wood Finish version, though it garnered differing reviews overall, with some liking it and others finding 'off' notes in its flavour (Jim Murray among these critics).

Of the other three, I tended to like the Port Wood Finish the most, as it showed complexity and a lovely balance between the distillery characteristics (malt and spices with a subtle saltiness lurking in the background) and the wine cask-derived overtones (even some Turkish delight notes on the finish). However, I also found the others quite good in their own ways, with the Sherry bottling coming across as weightier and sweeter and the Madeira bottling as crisper and more citrusy.

The new series, now bottled under the Extra Matured banner, consists of the Lasanta (Sherry wood), Quinta Ruban (Port wood) and Nectar D'Or (Sauternes wood)... No more Madeira Wood Finish or Burgundy Wood Finish. A 25-year old has been added to the top end of the range, and the regular 10-year old is apparently being drawn from a more rigorous selection of casks.

We will see...

[debaire]

So are these worth getting, the leftover bottlings?

[jazznut]

I would certainly go for the older Port Wood Finish, if only to be able to compare it to the new Quinta Ruban.

The Sherry Wood is slippery-rich and as easy-drinking a whisky as was ever created. But as you know, there is no shortage of Sherry cask finished single malts kicking around from the various distilleries. Tough call here.

As for the Madeira Wood, if you're willing to sacrifice a little of the complexity of the regular 10-year old (is there a better whisky around with which to introduce newcomers to the delights of single malt Scotch?) for faint medicinal nuances and a dash of lemon-pepper (both of which complement the Glenmorangie style quite well), then...

It's worth noting again that the newer versions (Lasanta, Quinta Ruban and Nectar D'Or) are bottled non-chill-filtered and at a 3%ABV higher strength.

[debaire]

Just picked up some portwood finish.

[debaire]

I tried the port wood finish. It doesn't do it for me. It's just sweet and that's all it seems...