Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Glenmorangie Master Distiller, Bill Lumsden, delivers one of the most consistently high-quality portfolios in Scotland. But it’s his ‘entry level’ product, the Glenmorangie 10 Year Old that sets the bar for the rest to follow. Jim Murray is rapturous about this expression declaring it to be “...one of the great single malts” rating it 94 points. Elegant swan-necked stills ( said to be the tallest in Scotland) are claimed to contribute to the lightness of the spirit. Maturation takes place in ex-Bourbon casks, made from oak sourced from Glenmorangie's own section of forest in the Ozark Mountains in Missouri. Our tasting found delicate aromas of creme brulee, pineapple, pear drops, barley sugar, vanilla, cocoa and spice. The palate is medium dry, supremely soft and full of flavour. Vanilla custard, toffee, toasted coconut and cocoa are aided by a softly spiced, malty background. Hints of dried fruit emerge. The balance is very good and there's a lingering aftertaste of vanilla, cocoa and toasted coconut. Put simply, there’s an alluring delicacy and complexity to this whisky that seems to punch above its price point. 40% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... Original is eager to please, yet not lacking complexity. A soft nose features honey, vanilla, sweet orange, and caramel. Hazelnuts dipped in honey and more orange, along with red apples on the rounded, buttery palate. Vanilla and cocoa powder in the lightly spiced finish, which boasts just a hint of smoke. 87 points - whiskyadvocate.com

...Fully matured in bourbon casks and currently at 29.99€ at our nearest Leclerc supermarket. Glenmorangie 10 was one of the seminal malt whiskies here, together with Glenfiddich NAS/8/12. We've even got singer Françoise Hardy who did a song mentioning Glenmorangie in the 1980s, give it a listen it's called 'VIP'. Of course in French it's GLENmorangie and not GlenMOrangie. Colour: pale gold. Nose: very light, pretty floral (orange blossom) and then on a basket of ripe fruits, apples, bananas, mirabelles, greengages, pink gooseberries… Also vanilla extracts and whiffs of assorted jellybeans and babies, as well as some fruitier green tea, or perhaps Wulong/oolong. The very embodiment of a fresh, pleasant, fruity malt whisky. Mouth: I find it really very sweet, as if a part of the casks had been recharred/deep-charred. Some light molasses honey, some mirabelle liqueur ripe butter pears, plums… I find it clearly fruitier and less on butterscotch than earlier batches of Glenmo 10. Finish: short/medium, still fresh and fruity, but with more green tea. Green tea with milk, and some vanilla in the aftertaste. Comments: I think it 'progressed back', even if it got a little more summery than before – or am I dreaming? 81 points - whiskyfun.com