THE HISTORY

Glenmorangie was established in 1843 even though the Morangie history goes back centuries before that. Since 1843, the Morangie distillery has had only six managers. The workforce of The Sixteen Men of Tain comes from successive generations of local families. Their knowledge of this one product must be amazing.

Glenmorangie has owned the water rights to the Tarlogie Springs since 1851 and has not changed its requirements for over 150 years. The only changes to this age-old product the actual owners. The Matheson brothers founded the distillery in 1843 and sold the rights to MacDonald and Muir of Lieth in 1918. The distillery closed during the early 1900s and reopened to offer a wide variety of products that are readily available in any quality liquor store worldwide.

Glenmorangie is located approximately 200 miles North of Glasgow about 45 minutes drive from Iverness by the shores of Dornoch Firth. Much like the other distilleries in the Speyside Region, Glenmorangie uses the hard water so the taste is unique before they even start producing the alcohol.

THE PORE

The Port Wood Finish pours a pale golden color. This is significantly lighter than most bourbons we drink, but my taste does not always go with the deepness of the color.

THE NOSE

Oak sweetness hit me first and I was surprised that the peat used in the distillation process was faint in comparison to the other aromas. The nose was invitingly sweet and had light hints of sour fruit.

THE TASTE

The sweetness is probably quite surprising for most whisky drinkers at first. That smoky sense that drives some away from this liquid gold is NOT present. Instead, the oak sweetness is taken over by a dark raisin flavor. Every now and then, rarely, I would get a sense of toffee or chocolate. The fruity, salty sourness is more prevalent after the sweetness disappears.

The sweetness I mention is not over sugary or like a Splenda packet. It is subtle, but more present than other whiskies. It is for that reason I keep mentioning it.

THE AFTERTASTE

Sweet, fruit, and then there’s the peppery burn. Your mouth is not on fire and your throat does not feel like a tequila shot, however, there is a very pleasant spiciness in your mouth that travels to your belly. The warm glow is long lingering – for minutes. The peat also presents itself at the end in the finish.

The Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish is extremely smooth and will please many that prefer bourbons or Irish Whiskey over Scotch because of the smoke. This is one of the lightest smoke Scotches I’ve had the pleasure to consume.

The Port Wood Finish will cost a couple more dollars than the 10-year, however, this is a very relaxing, sipping Whisky that will please you and your close friends for quite some time.