Whisky I've Drank: Glen Moray Aged 12 Years

By Josh Peters
What do Aberlour, Glenmorangie and Whisky Label 5 all have in common? Their owners have all owned the Glen Moray distillery at some point in time since it’s conversion from a brewery to a distillery in 1897. This scrappy little distillery has been caught on fire, allowed to run down, closed for over a decade and brought back online during it’s 117 years. It’s the little distillery that could.
It’s flagship product, the Glen Moray 12, is an interesting little guy. It has so much potential and so many nice things going on that I find myself rooting for it and spending more time than I usually would hunting and searching for more. Hoping that there is some hidden depth to this whisky that I just didn’t taste the first, second, third or fourth time… but alas, that is not the case as you’ll see in the review below.
Glen Moray 12 Review:
ABV: 40%
Age: 12 years
Price: $42
Distiller: Glen Moray
EYE:
Light Gold
NOSE:
Initial notes of caramel and lemon zest waft up from the glencairn and pave the way for some fruit and floral notes to come sifting through. A bit of honey, vanilla and whisky spice notes come drifting through with a touch of oak and herbs. It may sound like there is a lot going on… but there isn’t. It’s all very light and airy. Coming drifting through as hints and wisps.
TASTE:
The fruit has turned a bit towards the dried variety, but the vanilla and honey notes have stayed true to what they were on the nose. Malt, whisky spice and a toffee like sweetness move about on a lightly nutty underpinning. The flavor, like the aroma, suffers from being too light. The flavors feel very topical with no real depth to them.
FINISH:
Honey, malt, spice and wood dominate the rather short finish with some light notes of fruit playing in and out during the quick fade.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL:
The balance is pretty good, but the body is really light and it feels like water.
OVERALL:
It’s one of those whiskies that I don’t hate, am glad I tried, but won’t be trying again anytime soon because I’m let down by it. There was nothing offensive about it and the aroma and palate both had some nice aspects to them, but they came across far too light and flighty, It’s like the diet version of a really good Speyside and leaves me wanting more, but never quite able to find the substance I want in this glass. This is definitely a whisky that needs a higher proof and maybe even another year or two in the barrel.
SCORE: 80/100

Whisky I've Drank: Highland Park Einar

By WhiskyGospel
Marketing is serious big deal for every product and hard to master skill, right? When we look at the single malt whisky market and marketing we can notice that most distilleries core range malts stick to age, barrel types and usages and other whisky attributes to brand, label, tag and market their whiskies.
However, sometimes when you need to market unique and special products to specific crowded and competitive market (and audience), the question that probably rises in those marketing teams – how do we make it stand out so people will buy our products and not the others (or both, but make sure ours are in your basket…).
You’ve probably guessed (correctly) that I’m talking on the Travel Retail whisky market. Here, the rules are different and different distilleries takes different route – some (the minority) will relay on the strong existing distillery brand and reputation and will sticks to the usual conventions (Hello Balvenie Triple Cask 12, 16, 25!) but most will launch new products which are named after external objects – important places for the distilleries, historical places, ships and persons – instead of whisky age/cask/attributes and usually without age statement.
This year, Highland Park distillery launched exclusively for the Retail Travel market -the warriors series – there are six bottlings in this series and the first three that were released already are Svein, Harald and Einar and very soon we’re supposed to see Sigurd, Ragnvald and Thorfinn which were slated for summer release.
In the last local tasting event which focused on highlands whiskies, we also tasted Highland Park Einar for the first time.
The Warriors bottles, as most bottles of that kind, do not have age declaration – quite a common and worrisome trend lately with the rising demand for single malt whisky and dwindling stock of old casks.
So a competitive market, distillery with good reputation, whisky with no age statement – how good is Einar?
Nose: 

We get a combination of fruity notes with minor sherry influence, sweet vanilla, some malty notes and lots of spices like cinnamon and pepper, overall nice but not very complex.
Palate: 

What the nose promise, the palate delivers. A rich mix of all those notes we sniffed coats the tongue with some weak smoke note that hides in there.
Finish: 

Medium, spices and oak dominates here with some lingering vanilla added to the recipe.
Conclusion: 

It’s a decent one and Highland Park continue to produce good stuff, although I’d still go for HP 18 if I have to choose between them (despite HP 18 being £13 more expensive). I wish that the ABV would be higher for those warriors bottles with little more Oomph – other tasters in the event said it feels a bit watered down and at 46% it would probably be even better. I think those forthcoming 3 warriors with the higher ABV (and older spirit) seems like a good bet to excel even further.

Whisky I've Drank: Grant's Aged 21 Years

Ten (10) first-class malt whiskies, including selected casks from the warehouses of Glenfiddich and Balvenie, are skilfully blended with Scotland's finest Grain whiskies to create the exceptional smoothness, mellowness, and rich, full flavor of William Grant's 21 Year Old Rare Scotch Whisky.
Every whisky in this rare old blend has been aged in oak casks for at least 21 years.
GRANT’S AGED 21 YEARS Blended Scotch Whisky. 700ml, 43% ABV.

IWSC Gold medal winner.

Whisky I've Drank: Glenmorangie "The Nectar D´Or" Aged 12 Years

By Whisky Kirk - July 7th, 2016
Glenmorangie Nectar D’or 12 Year Old is finished in Sauternes wine casks, which is pretty cool, if you ask me. This wine comes from the sauternais sub-region in France that is located in the Graves section of Bordeaux . No, vineyards were not planted atop human remains there.
Or were they? Well, if a correct translation of “grave” is any indication, then the answer is an emphatic non-non. In French, it means “soil with a concentration of gravel.”
When harvested, sauturnes grapes are spread out in the sun to let some of the juices inside the skins evaporate, thus concentrating what is left (as the sun takes them part way towards becoming raisins). This process results in a white desert wine that is quite sweet, indeed.
Casks used in the production of white desert wine are loaded with sugars, and these naturally find their way into Nectar D’or whisky. Actually, it’s worth pointing out that the wash is aged in ex-bourbon casks for a decade, and then finished for two years in the aforementioned desert wine casks.
All of these facts add up to great news for connoisseurs who like their whisky sweet and fairly complex. It’s worth pointing out that Nectar D’or means “golden nectar,” as “Or” is the Scottish Gaelic word for “gold.” Along with sweet flavors from the wood, there comes a nice deep golden color– hence the appellation that calls attention to the color of this whisky.
Before we move on to the tasting notes, I might as well mention that Glenmorangie was one of the first distilleries to legitimize the practice of finishing its whiskies in wine casks. Yes, I know that I’m starting to date myself, but I actually do remember a time (a few decades ago) when finishing whiskies in wine casks was generally thought of as “iffy” and controversial.
Today, finishing is done quite a lot by some very reputable distilleries. I think that Glenmorangie deserves credit for showing the world how it was done– not only in terms of creating some award-winning single malt Scotch whiskies– but also in demonstrating how the practice of finishing batches in wine and port casks could be profitable. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the same parent corporation owns Glenmorangie distillery, in addition to the vineyard in France that makes Sauternes wine, and, by extension, owns the casks used to make Nectar D’or.
Tasting Notes: Glenmorangie Nectar D’or 12 Year Old
Color: 

Deep gold in the bottle; a bit lighter “old” gold in the glass.
Nose: 

Floral notes combine with vanilla and honey to offer a very rewarding olfactory experience. Pinot Gris surfaces, along with white grape skins, almonds, and rose water. A citrus note seems to be floating in there, as well, although it is fairly subtle on the nose.
Palate: 

On the tongue, lime and orange zest greet the palate. Ex-bourbon casks add a bit of pepper to the sweeter floral nature of the nose. Now, I’m getting apple blossom–so, yes, I can isolate the type of floral influence, as well as the type of citrus influences on the palate. Cinnamon dances around a pool of vanilla and golden raisins. Alcohol in the mouth feel is a little on the hot side for 46%, but this heat compliments a touch of peppery spiciness from the oak.
All told, the interplay of sweet and spice adds welcome complexity for a twelve year-old offering. The finish is medium in length, and its death brings honey suckle and vanilla, rather than wood spice. In terms of texture, the viscosity is not thin, but neither is it “chewy” from oak tannins.
Rather, I should say the whisky is somewhat oily in the way it interacts with the tissues of the mouth, particularly after resting in one’s glass for a spell. Put another way, it’s mouth-coating without being chewy. Few experts would argue against the fact that a higher ABV, together with more time in the casks, would move this whisky in a fascinating direction. However, given its price-point, we can be appreciative of the role Nectar D’or plays in Glenmorangie’s twelve year core offerings.
Conclusion:
Glenmorangie Nectar D’or comes in a rather handsome box–complete with hinges, clasps, and golden lettering embossed on a matte finish. You can’t go wrong if you bring it to a wedding, an old-fashioned wake, or if you present it as a gift–either to somebody else, or to yourself.
My only complaint about the nectar in my glass is the fact that it replaced Glenmorangie’s Madeira wood finish. I do love the influence of fortified Portugese wine casks on a good whisky, and so I’ve missed the Madeira wood. This said, today’s Sauternes finish is admittedly more viscous, which creates a nice, oily mouth feel.
Last time I checked, the discontinued green label Madeira was fetching upwards of two hundred pounds at auction. That’s too too rich for my blood, but it would be fun to do a side-by-side comparison between the two whiskies at some point. If a Madeira wood happens to surface at a friend’s house during a whisky tasting in the future, then I most likely drive to the nearest liquor store on a quest to bring back Nectar D’or Sauternes finish for the piece de resistance of the event.
FINAL SCORE: 87/100.

Whisky I've Drank: Glenmorangie "The Lasanta" Aged 12 Years

By ScotchNoob
Somehow I keep bypassing Glenmorangie products… perhaps because there are so damn many. The Lasanta, at 12 years of age, is in the same “Extra Matured” Series as Quinta Ruban and Nectar d’Or. This one, after the same initial 10 years in ex-bourbon, spent 2 years in Oloroso sherry casks. This makes it “sherry finished”, as opposed to “sherry matured”, which means it isn’t really apt to compare it to Macallan or GlenDronach or other whiskies aged fully (or predominantly) in ex-sherry. Of course, the whole idea of the “Extra Matured” Series is to showcase Glenmorangie whisky as a canvas for other flavors, and Lasanta delivers. It also helps that Glenmorangie products have remained (almost) immune to the run-up in whisky prices endemic through the industry. The fact that you can still get 12 year-old sherry-finished Glenmorangie for under $45 is both remarkable, AND a reason to buy it… especially if your favorite sherried Speysider has priced itself out of your reach.
Lasanta is bottled at 46% ABV and is not chill-filtered. Note that in late 2014 Lasanta was lowered from 46% ABV to 43% ABV. This review is from one of the older (46% ABV) bottles.
Nose: Evident sherry – dried fruits and dusty caramel. As this is finished in sherry, not matured in it, the effect is milder and the fruit less robust than Macallan or GlenDronach.
Palate: Alternating sweet and tart fruit. Good integration between fruit jam and the layers of caramel, and soft cereals. Good amount of flavor for a $45 single malt.
Finish: Medium-long. A little on the hot side, but with some nice concentrated dried mixed fruit. Ends slightly bitter, with a touch of nuttiness.
With Water: Reveals a burst of raspberry coulis, but the alcohol vapor gets a little hot. Slightly sweeter – brown sugar – on the palate, and more fruit on the finish. Definitely give some water a shot.
Overall: 

This is a respectable sherry-tinged malt that is very definitely worth $45 of your money. It’s regularly available, consistent in quality, and can be absentmindedly enjoyed, or analyzed in turn. For a desert island, I prefer its pricier sibling, the Nectar d’Or, but the two are in no way similar – you could easily find room on your shelf for both.
Note: 

I’ve marked this as ‘Must Try’ because it’s a quintessential part of any whisky lover’s journey, as is Quinta Ruban. It may not find a permanent spot on your shelf (especially if you’ve ‘graduated’ to pricier malts), but it’s a case study in the effects of sherry finishing and the adaptability of Glenmorangie’s malt.