Review by: The Muskox

I’ve drank more Glenmorangie in the last month than I would have ever expected – not entirely by choice – and I still have more! This is Glenmorangie’s “Private Edition” from 2017, fully matured in rye casks.

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Distillery: Glenmorangie.

Bottler: Official bottling.

Region: Highlands.

ABV: 46%.

Age: No age statement. Bottled in 2017.

Cask type: Matured in ex-rye casks.

Price: N/A, tasting sample.

Color: Light gold. Natural Color. Non-chill-filtered.

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Nose: Light and bright. Warm old-fashioned donut, French vanilla ice cream, iced pound cake, and cheese Danish. Some mild and sweet fruit notes of tangerine, green bananas, and tart yellow plums. I can see the rye, sort of. There’s a bracing herbal character, not quite pickle brine but getting there. Hints of caraway seed and coriander, too. Pumpkin! Slightly perfumed.

Palate: Medium-light texture. Arrives very sweet with powdered sugar, candied orange, and wort. Slight sugary stickiness on the development, with some oak and burnt sugar starting to come in. There’s a bit more rye going here than on the nose – funky herbs, oregano, even slightly hoppy.

Finish: Short – just sort of vanishes. Subtle rye – dried herbs and slightly peppery olive oil. Lingering sugariness.

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Possible SMWS bottling name: “Halloween party hangover”

Conclusion: I had low expectations, and they were handily met, though not quite in the way I expected. The rye casks aren’t so bad, and are actually rather subtle and interesting. The real problems with this dram are the very short finish, the odd vegetal notes, the and manic swings between absurd sugary sweetness and the rye herbs. There are hints of a good whisky in here: I like those olive-oil-y notes and the very Glenmorangie-ish pastries and toasted sugar. There just isn’t near enough of that.

Final Score: 71.

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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.