Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old Impressions

What is it? 

Distillery: Glenmorangie, Highlands, Scotland

Name: The Original 10 Year Old

Make: Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Extra Info: Dr Bill Lumsden, Head of Distilling & Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie, was one of the pioneers of wood management and 'finishing' whisky in exotic casks.

Why did I buy it?

This whisky could quite possibly be the first single malt whisky I ever tasted. I can't say it with 100% certainty but my dad definitely favoured Glenmorangie and he would have given me my first dram.

What did I think of it?

Presentation: Orange, orange and more orange, with some bronze and gold detailing. The Original 10 Year Old is certainly a bright bottle on any shelf with the elegantly shaped clear glass putting the whisky's colour on show. Different, but still very classy.

Appearance: Bright gold colour in a glass, more orange in the bottle with consistency maintained through the addition of e150 caramel colouring and chill filtration; a common practice with larger distillery’s flagship expressions.

Aroma: Stone fruits, strong ripe banana. With water smells less of banana and more of honey.

Flavour: Smooth, strawberry, banana, citrus fruit zing, faintest hint of oak spice and vanilla. Loses complexity with water as the flavours become harder to distinguish from each other.

Finish: Medium length, lingering spices.

Would I buy it again?

Yes, Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old is an excellent go to Highlands whisky. It is also a great example of a whisky with a very fruity flavour profile. It is smooth and easy to drink, but still hangs around on your pallet long enough for you not to immediately forget that you tasted it. That said, there are many more Glenmorangie expressions that I would also like to try.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to have the nose and palate of a Master Sommelier, however, I am working to train my senses to better identify whisky aromas and flavours. Consider all my whisky 'Impressions' to be a work in progress and I hope to come back to each of them in the future to see if I notice anything different. Most importantly, I'm not just throwing around random aromas, flavours and adjectives for the hell of it; I am trying really hard to critically describe each whisky I taste - WhiskyDad.