Glenmorangie 18 Years

Photo provided by The Whisky Exchange

A swish new bot­tle for what has always been one of the best of Glenmorangie’s core range. Fans may be dis­ap­pointed at the price hike, which was unfor­tu­nately out of our con­trol — this is what hap­pens when brands are “repo­si­tioned” for the lux­ury market.

Aroma: The cor­nu­copia of an autumn har­vest fes­ti­val table describes the over­flow­ing abun­dance of arrest­ing aro­mas that tan­ta­lise at the first nose of Glen­morangie 18 Years Old. The rich, resinous qual­ity of nuts cas­cades into a crisp tof­fee sweet­ness of crème brulée, merg­ing with caress­ingly smooth, creamy vanilla. Hints of vibrant oranges & lemons are found. Crunchy tex­tured wal­nuts fol­low, ooz­ing into golden hon­ey­comb that trick­les over sun-ripened sticky dates. Then sparkling flo­ral tones emerge, tak­ing the edge off any cloy­ing sweet­ness, with the green, almost herbal bou­quet of gera­nium, tem­pered with musky jas­mine and the bright, sharp clar­ity of narcissus.

With water, 18 Years Old reveals a rich oaken, bal­samic char­ac­ter that yields to soft vanilla. At this moment, the sig­na­ture Glen­morangie fruity com­plex reveals itself in golden apri­cots and dates min­gled with hazelnuts.

Taste: Glen­morangie 18 Years Old slips like silk over the tongue with a full, rounded flavour, start­ing with grape­fruit & orange. The palate is then entranced with an accord of melt­ing honey, creamy malt and aro­matic flo­rals that segue into the warm, syrupy nut­ti­ness of hazel­nuts and wal­nuts from the Oloroso sherry casks in which the whisky is matured. Savour the rich, sticky date and fig flavours as they are height­ened by the unex­pected caress of woodsmoke.

Fin­ish: Lin­ger­ing and entic­ing with the sub­tle sweet­ness of dried fruit and the nutty dry­ness of sherry.

- Dis­tillery tast­ing notes