The latter begins not with Lumsden but, in the late 1980s, with ‘finishing’– the transfer of a mature whisky into a different cask type for an extended period of ageing. Even now, there are arguments about who ‘invents’ it, but Glenmorangie is the first to talk openly about it, and plumbs the possibilities of it beyond the Sherry cask. There are certain flavors in here that are soluble in alcohol but not in water so as the alcohol concentration drops, you can see them coming out—see the oils and the fats swirling around—like a flower blooming. Now you’ll get more of the stone fruit, like peaches dipped in ice cream or vanilla fudge,” says McCarron. SquidgyAsh, who knows how you will feel about Glenmorangie Astar or any other whisky the next time you try it? That's why you try it again, right? Along with maybe hoping for some of the same sort of enjoyment you remembered from the first time.

Glenmorangie has been the best selling single malt in Scotland almost continuously since 1983, and produces around 10 million bottles per annum, of which 6 to 6.5million are sold in the UK. [11] Globally, Glenmorangie has a 6% share of the single malt market. [12] Production [ edit ] The stills which stand 26ft (7.9m) high The classic Glenmorangie style as epitomised by Glenmorangie 10 majors on fresh fruit like oranges and peaches burnished with sweet American oak. Whisky creator Dr. Bill Lumsden is fond of saying that “that the orangey is morangey in Glenmorangie”, as a way of communicating the core flavour profile and how to pronounce the distillery name. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect. Glenmorangie is one of the most famous distilleries and biggest selling brand names in the world. It is located next to an estuary in the north eastern Highlands, close to the small town of Tain. The distillery opened in 1843 and is now owned by multi national drinks giant, Moet Hennessy. It is also one of Scotland's largest distilleries, producing 4 million litres per year, and has the tallest set of stills in Scotland. This means that only the purest and lightest spirit reaches the condenser and gets collected for maturation. Glenmorangie is one of the few distilleries that use hard water during production (this water bubbles up from a natural spring near to the distillery) and this combined with the lighter spirit gives it distinctive characteristics. The range is extensive and covers different ages and cask finishes including sherry, port and Sauternes. The distillery tour is also excellent and we can recommend it from our last visit there. The 'Astar' is a long awaited new release that is cask strength (the alcoholic strength that the whisky is in the cask) and matured in special oak casks. This oak was specially selected by Glenmorangie and comes from a forest (that they own) in the Ozark mountains in Missouri, America. Friedli, Douglas (29 August 2004). "Not so tranquil now". The Scotsman. UK . Retrieved 29 September 2007.You might be breathing in too strong because your nose is designed to take in a lot of air. So, what I do is open my mouth and breathe in through my mouth instead and this will bring in just the tiniest amount of air through your nose,” McCarron advises. “On the nose, this smells like a very sugary dessert, like crème brûlée, with some lemon and citrus notes.” The Astar is one of the few Glenmos that are bottled at cask strength. It is a vatting of so-called designer casks, from the Ozark Mountains. Astar is Gaelic for ‘the Journey’, referring to Dr Lumsden’s seach for these casks. They were are-dried for two years, heavily toasted, but only slightly charred. Despite the fact that there is no age statement on the bottle, insiders tell us it is around 10 years old. Anyway, enough lecturing, let us taste. The Astar’s extraordinary casks are hewn from hand-selected slow-grown oak trees from the Ozark mountains of Missouri, and meticulously crafted to exacting specifications, to ensure they impart their maximum flavour to our delicate Highland spirit.” He said: ‘I’m starting to get much more volume of this coming through;I think it’s important to maintain quality,’ adding that the reborn Astar was ‘a limited expression, and we’ll see how it goes with people’.

Glen Moray". The Whisky Guide. Archived from the original on 14 August 2007 . Retrieved 29 September 2007. Unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise, your use of and membership to the Service are exclusively governed by Dutch law. We shall first try to settle any dispute over a dram of whisky. Disputes that cannot be settled over multiple drams of whisky shall be solely submitted to the court of Amsterdam, The Netherlands unless mandatory applicable law provides otherwise. To keep from overpowering the single malt, the barrels made from these staves were toasted, compared to the traditional heavy char, and then filled with bourbon. The bourbon “donor” is undisclosed, but Glenmo works a lot with Brown-Forman so it could be a whiskey in that family. After four years in these toasted casks, the American whiskey was dumped and the barrels shipped to Scotland. Glenmorangie Distillery - Whisky.com". 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. a b c d e "Glenmorangie Single Malt Scotch Whisky". Glenmorangie. Archived from the original on 1 September 2007 . Retrieved 29 September 2007.

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Glenmorangie, like all distilleries and breweries in Britain, suffered terribly between 1920 and 1950, with Prohibition and then the Great Depression in the United States reducing whisky sales. The distillery was effectively mothballed between 1931 and 1936. The depression ended with World War II, but the war effort left fuel and barley in short supply and the distillery was again mothballed between 1941 and 1944. [6] Exports of whisky were important during the war, but enemy action disrupted and destroyed deliveries to the United States and Canada. The flavors: Lots and lots of fruit once again, apples, pears, oranges with lots of honey and vanilla, some cinnamon. This is my new go to summer whisky! Palate: Raisin sweet at first and then the white spices. Honey with lots of fruits; mainly papaya. Nuts. And freshly baked Danish butter biscuits. It starts with the release of the 1963 vintage in 1987, then moves on to the original Glenmorangie 18 Year Old launch in 1990. A Port Wood Finish follows in 1994, Madeira and Tain l’Hermitage in 1995, and a fully-formed Glenmorangie Wood Finish Range in 1996. But as McCarron explains, Scotch and bourbon share an interesting relationship: “Historically, the bourbon industry uses each cask once, so there was a market to buy used casks from America. Using new casks for bourbon suits the nature of bourbon and also takes the edge off and seasons the cask, making it perfect for aging whisky afterwards.”

Glenmorangie’s Brendan McCarron shares his tasting techniques over a glass of the limited-edition Glenmorangie Astar 2017. I didn't cut this one with water, even though it was a much higher proof then the other whiskies as it didn't feel like it was needed. Very very enjoyable. The worst aspects are exacerbated at the bottled strength; for one of the first times, I believe this malt should have been bottled at 43%. My rating reflects the addition of water; otherwise I would rate the Astar at most 75 neat, without exaggerating my feelings. To turn lemons into lemonade, I could imagine using this as a very nice palate cleanser, either as an apertif or in between plates of a multi-course meal. (However, it should not be used during a whisky tasting flight, as the menthol will contaminate subsequent whiskies!)

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Darroch, Valerie (24 October 2004). "Glenmorangie sale buys new owners a footing in the global whisky". The Sunday Herald . Retrieved 29 September 2007. Following the change of ownership, the Glenmorangie product line was rebranded to increase its appeal in the overseas luxury goods market. A new, more curvaceous, bottle was introduced and the Wood Finish whiskies were given new names such as The Quinta Ruban, Nectar d'Or and LaSanta. According to Professor Paul Freathy, the director of the Institute of Retail Studies at the University of Stirling, "The French-sounding names are an unusual innovation, because what makes whisky unique is the traditional tie to Scotland. It's a brave strategy." [9]

As the old place is so soon to be pulled down, we need not describe the interior arrangements, except to say that only Pot Stills have been in use.’

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Nose, neat: Blasts of malt, vanilla, citrus, honey, nuts, pepper, cinnamon, and white wine. A surprising absence of booze burn for a 57% ABV whisky. I don’t get the floral notes that one associates with Glenmorangie, but I do get a slight trace of dust from time to time. Not enough to detract from the overall quality of the nose, however.