Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Review

A special barrel select release from Glenmorangie made in association with ‘The Whisky Club’, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Single Malt Scotch Whisky is the Highland distiller’s first-ever collaboration on a single malt. This particular expression makes use of some of the most unique and finest quality Spanish Sherry casks available, hand selected by Glenmorangie Master Distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden in tandem with the team behind The Whisky Club. For fans of well-made, sherry-forward single malt whisky, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask is a guaranteed hit, easily approachable and an immersive sipping malt.

For collectors, there is a disappointing lack of box, and with this being the first collaboration that Glenmorangie has done with a partner, the collectibility of this particular bottling is undeniable. With that being said, this is a whisky drinker’s malt, and is designed to be enjoyed by connoisseurs of exceptional sherried scotch.

On first impressions, the Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask has a rich amber hue, suggesting there is a solid degree of sherry influence. The pour itself has good viscosity for a 12-year-old, which is reinforced once we begin to taste, but first the nose and aroma.

Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Nose

Distinctively sweet, there’s plenty going on from the outset and throughout. Ripe orange and canned peaches with a wry hint of sherry immediately present. Glenmorangie suggest ‘orange and poppyseed cake’ in their notes, however I found it more to be a baked cobbler with some suggestion of burnt toffee and creme brulee. After letting the dram breathe, a rich nuttiness becomes clear and is a nice underpinning comlementary note to the citrus and sherry.

Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Palate

At 92-proof, there is a tingle immediately on the lips, citrus, spearmint and a certain pepperiness that awakens and enlivens the palate. Amidst the citric, zesty forefront, hints of an earthy cacao-like nuttiness, with sherried oak emerging alongside more fruit and what Glenmorangie describe as ‘orange sherbet’. An oiliness is apparent in the malt, with a good level of viscosity, which produces a faint leathery character at the back of the throat. This is a lovely sip, and one that shows the combination and influence of Amontillado sherry cask finishing, without dominating and losing the innate charisma of Glenmorangie’s terroir.

Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Amontillado Cask Finish

An extended, lengthy finish that lingers in the mind too. There is an almost treacle like quality to the finish that seems to stick to the mouth and coat the throat. Leather remains present, however there is a syrupy sweetness that is overarching and altogether endearing. Neat, the finish has a subtle heat and warmth, however I found when opening this up with a couple of drops of water, it explodes with more of the sherried citrus that we see earlier on. A truly exceptional single malt whisky.

Score: 89/100

Watch what Dr. Bill Lumsden has to say about this release:

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