Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or

Review by: TOModera

It’s back to Basics time!…

Well, not really, it’s back to next level time? Whatever, it’s time to review one of the staples, all so that I can feel like I should be writing these reviews, not just.. I don’t know, some guy who drinks quite a bit.

This week we have Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or. This is the usual Glenmorangie juice of 10 years with yet another twist, it’s put into Sauternes casks for 2 additional years. I’m quite a fan of sweeter wines, however I remember not being the biggest fan of this one when I had it before.

But enough about the past, what is Sauternes wine, and why do whisky drinkers care? Well, it’s a French sweet wine made in the Sauternais region in Bordeaux, France. It’s affect by noble rot, a fungus that takes away the water from the grape and leaves it sweeter. Also Sauternes wine can be very, very expensive.

Be careful when looking for authentic Sauternes wines: in the US, a wine can be labeled as sauterne with a lower case s and no s at the end, and it’s just a generic sweet wine.

But enough of parroting Wikipedia, let’s see how I review a Highland this time (It’s always so high)

Distillery: Glenmorangie Distillery.

Bottler: Distillery Bottling.

Region: Highland.

ABV: 46%.

Age: Unknown

Cask type: Bourbon Cask with a Sauternes Cask finish.

Price: $89.30 (CAD).

Color: Light gold.

Nose: Plum, strawberry, pear, floral, nutmeg, mango, corn syrup

Very fruity, with more of the traditional Glenmorangie smell coming forward instead of the Sauternes. Eventually it opens up, after letting it breathe, and there’s some nutmeg and mango. Then a horrid Corn Syrup flavour that is very off putting.

Gee, who would think mixing Glenmorangie, a typically sweeter whisky, would end up with a nose of something overly sweet?^

Taste: Honey, apple, ginger, lemon, basil, hot sauce, metallic

Again, after letting this breath, there’s some elements of dry flavours, however the Glenmorangie Honey/Apple combo with vegetal notes is still there in force. It’s a little different than the 10 year, but for something at the price plus, that hot sauce metal flavour shouldn’t be there.

Finish: Vegetal, cinnamon, pepper, cream, light honey, dirty carrot

Again, this is just like the 10 year, yet finally we get some of the Sauternes elements popping up and changing the dram. It’s not bad, it’s just nothing special.

Like every one of us.

Conclusion: Listen up maggots. This is not special, this is not a unique snowflake.

Woah, let’s pare back on the angry quotes… that came off bad.

Alright, I’ve been sarcastic (see the carrots above), I’ve been pretty negative, and it’s not THAT bad. I mean, it’s an experiment, and a good entrance into what a finish can do.

It has some subtle notes of the Sauternes, it was worth a try. Should they mix a sweet whisky with a sweet wine finish? No, because it’s muddled. Glenmorangie needs to try a different, less sweet finish, like, oh, I don’t know, a red wine finish. That should be better.

Either that or put it in the Sauternes for longer. It’s a subtle finish, it needs that extra time to change from the earthy, sweeter Glenmorangie finish.

Final Score: 77.

Scoring Legend:

  • 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
  • 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
  • 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
  • 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
  • 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
  • 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
  • 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
  • 50-59: Save it for mixing.
  • 0-49: Blech.

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