LeeEvolved
Glenmorangie Tarlogan
Single Malt — Highlands, Scotland
Reviewed
July 4, 2019 (edited July 8, 2019)
This is the third installment in the Glenmorangie Legends Collection: The Tarlogan. It follows the previous releases of Duthac and Tayne. All 3 releases are travel retail exclusives designed to represent locations in and around the distillery. The Tarlogan is named for the Tarlogie water source used by the distillery. Its a blend of whisky that was matured in virgin oak and ex-bourbon casks. It’s a pale, straw yellow in the Glencairn and produces watery, thin legs and medium-sized drops after you give it a spin. It’s bottled at 43% ABV and I picked the bottle up online from Whisky World for $46.
The nose starts with a lightly, charred oak, apples, pears and fresh muddled spearmint. There’s an intrusive menthol and eucalyptus note that permeates the entire dram before ultimately yielding to typical ex-bourbon barrel standards like vanilla, leather tannins and sawdust. The palate is a bit more adventurous: pears, banana bread, berry fruits and apples. The spirit is young and can’t be masked, especially when aged in virgin oak, so it’s naturally harsh and somewhat hot, even though it’s blended down to 43%. The thin mouthfeel allows all the abrasive aspects to wreak havoc on the tongue. The finish is medium-short and very dry. It ultimately tastes and feels like you’ve licked the inside of the cask. Wood, wood and more wood.
Overall, I’ve tried the Duthac and found it to be just like this one: very middle-of-the-road and uninspired. Reviews of The Tayne lead me to believe it’s the best of the 3 Legends Collection releases and the one to seek out. This, unfortunately, is just more TRE/NAS mediocrity from Glenmorangie. I can’t recommend it to anyone other than ‘Morangie fanboys. 2.5-2.75 stars. Cheers.
46.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@LeeEvolved that’s a huge bummer to hear about Signet. Will be really curious to hear what you think once you crack into that bottle. Hopefully some increased competition will force them to up their game.
@LeeEvolved Yeah it wasn't
@Rick_M - I’ve been using “giggity” wrong for quite some time- I just think it’s funny. It’s from Family Guy.
@LeeEvolved - there are at least 12 variations of “giggle” in the English language, but your new version is the only one that made me giggly. :)
@Whiskali @PBMichiganWolverine - I have a bottle of the second batch of Signet and I’ve heard it isn’t as good as the first batch, either. I think it’s a combination of the fact our palates have evolved (giggity) and that quality has given way to quantity in some cases.
Great review! Glenmorangie 18 and Glenlivet 18 are what first drew me into the scotch world (and then Lagavulin 16 sealed the deal) but at this point I only have one bottle of GM in my collection and that’s Signet - which I still do find unique and delicious. But it saddens me that they seem to be putting out so many subpar products now. I was interested to hear that they bumped the Quinta Ruban up from 12 to 14 and I like that they kept the price the same but wondering if the quality of their products in general has just fallen off. Have any of you tried the new 14 QR?
I can’t recall any ‘morangie I’ve liked recently...maybe Signet from years ago. Is it us that have evolved needing more complex drams, or has Glenmo been making for generic whiskey drinker interested in brand name only ?
@Rick_M - thanks for the kind words, sir. Just when I felt like I was hitting the “whisky wall” something clicked and it’s like I’m back in my element again. 500 reviews is on the horizon and my plan is to ring in that momentous occasion a little differently than most..stick around and bask in the ambiance, won’t you? 🤣
@LeeEvolved - man, I feel like I just drank the dram myself. Not sure if it’s the hangover or your way with words. I’d guess the latter. :)
I can send you some Tayne. I've barely touched my bottle.