Glenmorangie Nectar D'or 12 Year

Smooth and mellow sweetness

Tropical fruit, earth and spice.

Fruity nose, with a woody, dry, sweet taste/finish.

Essentially a more mature version of the original glenmorangie. In contrast to la santa and quinta ruban which push forward the Sherry and dark chocolate, respectively, the nectar d'or fills in the peat and adds some missing depth to the flavor of the original without producing a scotch that has a gimmick or would be more justly classified as islay. This is one of the best balanced scotches out there and it is excellent without costing a fortune. It's beauty is that its smoke blends into peat, which blends into its alcohol underflavor without creating distress in the drinker. This is very good and is a unique dram that does an excellent job of hiding it's imperfections. A great success, but not perfection. The finish, while not exquisite, is very good. Sauternes x peat ftw! Apricot and orange with a toffee flavor underlying it and sweet agave syrup toward the finish. There are some spices present, with black pepper, cinnamon and clove being particularly prevalent. The spice gives it a little kick, but otherwise it is pretty smooth. Smoke and peat mix together in a balanced way. A little coconut makes its way in. There really isn't any unpleasant alcohol flavor. The finish is more bitter than the mid, but is so in an appropriate way. There is a little mint at the end, but not much - certainly not enough to spoil the drink. The flavors are all very good and it has something about it that makes it taste somewhat like an Irish whiskey that is several years older (or a slightly older Scotch (maybe 14 years)). The complexity is impressive if not astonishing. The spice might be a bit strong, but it's also what gives it so much of that extra aged flavor. All told, this is a terrific drink. The nose is pretty smoky, but it also has some sweet nectar orange flavor and mild woody richness. The nose is nicely rich and scotchy with a surprisingly robust complexity despite the sweetness (which is also nice). The palate is quite smoky but not peaty. There is some rich woodiness but also some sweet Muscat flavor with a hint of citrus. There's something slightly licorice and herbal here that reminds me of bourbon. Although it's a bit confusing and a bit brusque, it's fresh and tasty. The nectar sweetness is tasty and rounded, albeit a bit light. That said, for this scotch it is quite nice. The balance could be a bit better but the flavor is quite good. It's an improvement on the regular Glenmorangie The Original, but it isn't a revolutionary improvement. There's some Sauternes nuttiness and sweetness as well as some enhanced orange rind and a bit of grassiness. It's a convincing combination of Scotch and Sauternes thst is tasty and worth sipping, but it isn't a masterpiece, despite its richness and sweetness. Despite the somewhat lacking complexity, it tastes good and all of the flavors land. The complexity is less than that of Springbank 10, though the diminished sulfur is nice. It's not on the same level as Springbank 10, but it's pretty close.

Sweet aromas, light on the palate, easy to drink, smooth.