Single Malt, 12 Year, 46% ABV, $50

This is Glenmorangie Original 10 Year Old that is finished for an additional 2 years in Sauternes “barriques.”

It has an aroma of straw and honey enveloped in a bit of tobacco, lemon drops and ginger.  I find it to be sweet and malty and sometimes accented with a note of wood. There are also notes of cherry, toffee, grass and pear.

The taste is tangy and sweet while the finish is peppery and dry.  Initially, I detect lemon, cherry, orange, honey, toffee and soft straw, then a hint of tobacco and ginger arrive next as a finish of white pepper, leathery oak, vanilla and lemon take over.  The lemon fades fast from a burst of tangy heat that develops mid-palate.  After a while, a bitter wood flavor develops in the background while the leather and tangy pepper linger on.  There’s a lot of sweetness up front, but its thin a midst the tangy burn that develops quickly.  A bit of water reveals more pepper and lemon (not what I was hoping for), along with cardboard, bitter white grape and a maltier flavor.

I’ll have to try their Original 10 Year Old again for comparison, but I think its probably better, which leads me to conclude that the Sauternes finish is not as good as sherry or port.  I’ve tasted both of those (La Santa and Quinta Rubin) and both were better than this as I recall.