Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

"Excellent integration of multiple flavors." - whiskyadvocate.com

Glenmorangie’s Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, together with Master Blender Gillian Macdonald have captured their fascination for spice markets in a new limited edition. Initially bourbon-aged Glenmorangie was finished in four cask types: Moroccan red wine casks from European oak (a first for the distillery), New charred oak casks, Shaved, toasted red wine casks and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks. The four-way finish was a challenge, partly because raw, new charred oak and high-ester wine staves can rapidly inject bitter wood tannins or aggressive dryness, so the team had to systematically sample the warehouse rows to catch the exact month of optimal wood integration, ensuring the exotic spices framed the spirit rather than smothered it. The final whisky lands at 46% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... The sixth edition in Glenmorangie’s “Tale of” series, following Tale of Cake, Winter, Forest, Tokyo, and Ice Cream. This offers cinnamon, clove, baked apple, and tiramisu sweet- ness on the nose, with lovely warmth and balanced spice. More cinnamon, then baking spice on a soft, balanced palate, with creamy vanilla on the back palate. The finish offers chocolate, more balanced spice, and hints of red berries. Excellent integration of multiple flavors. 93 points - whiskyadvocate.com

...The nose offers more of a floral sensation than anything, but the spices certainly come out on the palate. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices largely delivers on its promise, but the cloying red wine influence doesn't sit entirely right. That's probably a me-thing. Otherwise an interesting exercise that works out on the whole. - wordsofwhisky.com

...First impressions surprise: This doesn’t nose as particularly spicy, though the red wine barrels (fresh and stripped) make an impact right away. This doesn’t come across with any particularly aromatic herbaceousness, but rather a chewy, doughy character that I often associate with red wine or Marsala barrels. Bold cereal and nougat notes offer an indistinct maltiness, leathery and hemp-like. The palate continues that boldly malty theme with notes of ground almonds and almond milk, coconut husks, and oily wood. Again, it isn’t particularly spicy aside from some notes of saffron and green cardamom, with a lightly tannic quality enduring. I didn’t find much of anything in the official tasting notes at play here, which run from nutmeg to ginger to rose, though the finish does find a fleeting floral quality before retreating to its intensely ropey, barnyard-like qualities. It’s never bad; it’s just not memorable in any way, especially when compared to some of the other delights in this series." - drinkhacker.com