Review
219
9/3/14
Glenmorangie
Astar: 57.1% abv
Background: Another
review of a Glenmorangie from the KCM crew. There has been a lot of buzz from
the Whisky Bible about Glenmorangie Ealanta, so why not do that? Well, because
this is what we bought, so this is what you get. The highlight of Astar, a cask
strength monster from the Highland distillery is the oak casks, that come from
the Ozarks of Missouri. This staves are then air dried for 24 months (or 2
years for the conversion-challenged among us), which is an extremely positive
mark on the cask quality. The assembled casks are heavily toasted, and
Tennessee whisky is aged in these casks for 4 years. Finally, Astar makes its
way into the cask and out spits a cask strength, natural color, non-chill
filtered beast. The only thing that Glenmorangie doesn’t tell you, to their
fault, is the age of this work. Rumor has it the whisky might be around 10
years old. So what now? Let’s figure out what this whisky is like.
Straight
Nose: Right
off the bat, the first impression on the nose is heavy whiskey, like Jack
Daniels. Cream and vanilla are prevalent at first, with mild malt aromas coming
through subtly. There is some banana and coconut that pulls into the strong
nose. As the nose starts to open up, the oak is pretty strong on the nose. If
you really struggle, there is a bit of fall spices that can be smelled on the
whisky. The nose is relatively simple though.
Arrival: The
arrival starts with a boozy Tennessee whiskey flavor, with sweet malt and corn
flavor. There is some bitter spice as well, but the flavor quickly dissipates
after this. There is a little bit of hot cinnamon.
Body: The
body introduces a savory flavor into the mix, still sustaining the Tennessee
whiskey flavor and strong hints of vanilla. There is bitter, sappy oak that is
dominating the flavor.
Finish: The
finish is hugely oaky, with American whiskey and vanilla up front. The finish
is hot and spicy, with bitter black peppercorn, cinnamon, and slight savory
notes. There is some dry vegetal notes, with a slight smokiness that is
reminiscent of burning tobacco.
With Water
Nose: The
nose hasn’t opened up terribly well after adding water. The stubborn aromas
don’t seem to be breaking free from the whisky. Unfortunately, the complexity
is still lacking in this portion of the whisky.
Arrival:
The arrival has allowed the whisky to really present itself well.
Complexity is shy, but the Tennessee character is definitely well defined now.
The spices are more bold and prominent. In general, the arrival is
substantially more enjoyable. There is a bit of pear present now that wasn’t
detected before.
Body: The
body actually reveals some interesting complexities that weren’t prevalent
before. There is a lot of herbal and vegetal notes, with blends of complex
fruits, including grapes, pear, and nectarines.
Finish: The finish is still intense and spicy, with
the toasted oak bursting through. The spices are huge, but not terribly
distinguishable. The vegetal notes in this whisky are more prominent than
before, with a malty aftertaste that reminds you you’re drinking a Scotch, and
not an American whiskey.
Final Comments: It
might look like you’ve seen a rushed review, but that’s not terribly true. This
is definitely a challenging whisky to deal with, but in a blind tasting, you
might mistake this for a bourbon or a Tennessee whiskey. Does that make this a
bad Scotch? Not nearly. But it does not give you the classic Glenmorangie
fruity, floral whisky experience you might expect. It also lacks severely in
complexity. That being said, this is a very quality whisky, and the recipe is
done pretty well right. It is also respectable that Glenmorangie provided a lot
of information on the whisky. Thus, you might struggle with whether or not to
buy a bottle of this gem. Our suggestion is to steer clear of this respectable
identity crisis unless you have nothing better to do with your money.
Why you’d buy it: It is
a bourbon-lover’s Scotch, and with water it is really an enjoyable catch.
Why you wouldn’t: It
really doesn’t justify its pricetag by any stretch of the imagination.
Score: 8.0 /10
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