ctbeck11
Glenmorangie Lasanta Sherry Cask Finish 12 Year
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
March 19, 2021 (edited April 29, 2021)
Nose - raisin, date, cinnamon, nutmeg, dry cherry, vanilla, honey, subtle meaty sulphur, old decaying oak, mild to moderate ethanol burn.
Taste - sour raisin, fig, date, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, brown sugar, caramel, black pepper, vanilla, honey, dry dark fruit, light oak, mild to moderate alcohol bite, finishing medium length with sour raisin, caramel, and baking spice flavors.
The nose is like sticking your face in a big box of stale Sun-Maid raisins. It’s not terrible, but the sherry notes don’t seem to be dialed in correctly. Maybe they’re using bad casks or the Oloroso/PX ratio isn’t quite right. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something’s off. There’s also a bit of meatiness, which is not too overwhelming, but it’s still noticeable. The palate is similar, but some unpleasant sourness sneaks in, which usually signifies underaging or underproofing in my experience. Again it’s not bad, but just seems to miss the mark. The only thing that lingers on the finish is that sour note, which is disappointing.
Overall, I think this is better than average, but just slightly. It’s about on par with the standard 10 year release in likability for me. This begins my short series of Glenmorangie reviews. Over the next few days, I’ll be covering the 14 Year Quinta Ruban, Nectar d’Or, and A Tale of Cake. I was expecting this one to be underwhelming based on the community consensus, but have slightly higher hopes for the rest of the series.
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@ctbeck11i believe you can buy it online in most websites, wine searcher should give you the path to where. it is not expensive at all
@Jose-Massu-Espinel First I’ve heard of the Duthac. Looks to be better executed than the Lasanta. Appears to be a TRE, so unfortunately I’ll likely never cross paths with it.
@CKarmios I had the Quinta a while back at a restaurant and remember reasonably liking it. Not sure whether it was the 12 or 14 though.
@ContemplativeFox Good call. Just checked my Nectar sample and it’s not age stated. I just assumed it was based on the search results. Updating my post accordingly.
Lasanta is one of those sherried whiskies in which i feel the sherriness presents as a bitter sour, it is just not my favorite. i prefer the duthac
Agreed 100%. A bit of a try-hard but misses the point. I’d have higher hopes for the Quinta after its upgrade to a 14 yo. @WhiskyWitch @ContemplativeFox Agreed. Nectar’s the Original with the sweetness volume turned up; still a tasty dram despite its NAS downgrade
I agree with that analysis of the Nectar D'Or @WhiskyWitch. The Quinta Ruban 14 impressed me but the Nectar D'Or seemed most in line with the 10 Y O Glenmo profile. Side note: I have no idea why Nectar D'Or moved to NAS
@WhiskyWitch Yep, I’ve heard that’s one of the better bottlings. Looking forward to tasting it, but don’t have too high of hopes for any of them.
I tried samples of the various Glenmorangie finishes a few years ago, but forgot to review them. I generally wasn't that impressed with any, but thought that the Sauternes cask best "completed" what Glenmorangie seemed like it was trying to be.