Glenmorangie Triple Cask Matured

Glenmorangie's Triple Cask Matured slipped into the fray when they decided to reinvent their core offering, extending the age statement from 10 to 12 years. I haven't heard much of this release. And at the time of this review, there only seems to be three reviews posted on Distiller. I've always liked Glenmorangie's selections and was very enthusiastic about their offerings early on in my whisky tasting days. How does this new, somewhat budget offering stack up? The nose on this bottling is fruity and spicy. Orange extract, canned pears and grapefruit pith give a sweet if not slightly bitter and citrusy character. Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and some tannic oak round out the nose. It smells rather like this will be an intensely fruity palate but I've been fooled before. The taste starts soft and sweet with caramel and almond extract. A very interesting character trait through the taste is how velvety the mouthfeel is, rather surprising for a more budget minded whisky. Tannins and spice hit mid taste underlined by subtle fruit. A surprise considering the nose. Oak is very dominant along with cinnamon sugar and nutmeg. Pears and orange rind are a very faint underlying flavor here, playing second fiddle to the tannins and spice. When first taking down the taste, breathing through the mouth, there is a very interesting clove like spice happening there. Speaking of spice, the finish is long, tannic and full of baking spice. More oak, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg create a strong finish while orange rind creeps into the picture as the finish fades. This isn't the type of finish that has distinct flavors that appear and disappear, they very much bleed into each other. A soft and rather complex taste belied by the rather strong notes on the nose. This selection is a fine budget single malt. In fact, I'd say that this would be a great whisky to try if you aren't completely sold on single malts just yet. Cost of entry is low so it is worth a try in my opinion.

Nose Sweet Rye and bourbon spices Taste Butter scotch pudding Bourbon vanilla Chocolate Finish lingers Black pepper Rye spice