PRICE: $30-45 INFO: Single malt Scotch whisky from the Coastal East Highlands, aged 10 years in first and second fill ex-bourbon casks. Bottlings come in 40% or 43% ABV. This review is for the 43%. NOSE: 85/100. This is the first scotch someone new to scotch should smell. It’s very friendly and sweet. It’s complex in breadth, but not complex in depth. You can easily dumb things down to perfume jargon. Top note is fruity and floral: Jasmine, lavender, apples, pears, citrus. A lot enticing smells coming at you all at once. Middle and base notes are thin: Honey, dairy creamer, fresh wood, vanilla, and ginger. Some water brings out the citrus, but will drown the palate. You can figure the nose out and move on in roughly 2 minutes; yet it’s in a different ballpark of complexity compared to Glenlivet and Glenfiddich 12. PALATE: 72/100. Fresh anytime sipper, I guess. There are no bad flavors, but there are no outstanding flavors either. Glenmorangie boasts the tallest stills in Scotland! But what does that mean? Exactly this. You get watery refluxed vapors dominating your distillate for a very light body and clean palate. It’s a perfect base for all of Glenmorangie’s aging experiments (Lasanta, Quinta Ruiban, Nector D’Or, and a barrage of limited edition ones), but disappointing as on its own. Again, this is very appropriate for beginners. FINISH: 69/100. Perhaps not as smooth as Glenlivet or Glenfiddich 12. You get the tiniest bit of bitter apple and harshness at the end, which maybe shows the 2 years of missing maturity. But there is also a little bit of bourbon character with it, as there is some lingering maple, vanilla, and caramel. Nothing to write home about. OVERALL: The nose of Glenmorangie is what rescues it from being truly boring like the Glenlivet and Glenfiddich 12. The palate and finish leaves a lot more to be desired. It needs a pairing, lest you start drinking this like a soccer mom unwinding on Chardonnay. It goes very well with crab cakes. Or have it side by side with a light tea. MARK: 76/100. VALUE FOR MONEY: Yes, for $30-something, I would like to keep this in my bar. More worthy for beginners than Glenlivet/Fiddich. It’s something I find great pleasure in nosing, and don’t feel guilty about drinking for nothing-remotely-special occasions.