When I was a boy my uncle had a cherry tree in his backyard and every holiday he used to make an unspeakably good cherry pie. When I first pulled the cork on this one and stuck my nose in the bottle, I was immediately taken back to that childhood treat. I knew it’d be a good pour from that point on. There’s a lot to love here. The nose is full of dark fruits and richness from the port finish. I’m a fan of port wine, but it seems like these days most of the whiskies finished in port pipes are either out of my tax bracket (Amrut, Balvenie) or poorly finished. This one seems to balance the malt with the port finish well, which may explain its enduring popularity in Glenmo’s core lineup. Speaking of the malt, it comes through on the mid-palate. Glenmo 10 has a soft and mildly creamy taste on the palate and it’s still there on the Quinta. The port comes back on the finish. The word “velvety” has been tossed around to describe the finish on this pour and I honestly can’t think of anything more appropriate than that word. The initial sip left me with the most satisfying finish, with later visits not quite as satisfying (hence the “lower” rating). There’s a lot of hype around the Quinta Ruban 14 that recently came out, with this one slated to be discontinued before stocks run out. I wanted to try a bottle of this before it disappears into the collectors’ vaults! I’ve quite enjoyed this one and could see another bottle appearing on my shelf when this one is done. Cheers!