Glenmorangie debuts Amontillado Finish
Highland single malt brand Glenmorangie has released a ‘nutty and spicy’ 12-year-old whisky finished in Amontillado Sherry casks.
Glenmorangie Amontillado Finish (46% ABV) is the fourth bottling in the brand’s Barrel Select Release series of small batch single malts. It is only available to buy in Australia and the UK. The distillery’s director of whisky creation, Dr Bill Lumsden, is a long-time fan of Amontillado and sourced a handful of the Sherry casks to give a ‘complex twist’ to Glenmorangie’s fruity style. The casks are said to be difficult to obtain. “I have always loved the nuttier, spicier tastes of Amontillado – my favourite style of Sherry," Lumsden said. "It’s such a delight to bring its casks’ Sherried influences to our whisky’s signature delicate style for this special release." Lumsden filled the casks with a ‘soft, mellow whisky’ that had spent eight years in American white oak Bourbon barrels. He then transferred the liquid into Amontillado casks for four years. The resulting liquid offers a nose of rose, carnation, jasmine, fragrant candle wax and cashew nuts. The palate brings hints of clove and ginger that are balanced with the brand’s signature citrus flavours of orange sherbet, lemon balsam and eucalyptus oil, along with undertones of walnut oil and leather. Lumsden added his own tasting notes: "Aromas of dried fruit and cashews are balanced with peaches, while tastes of clove and ginger contrast wonderfully with orange and lemon." Glenmorangie Amontillado Finish is available exclusively to buy from The Whisky Club in Australia, at the Glenmorangie visitor centre in Tain, Scotland, and online from the brand’s website. It has an RRP of £75 (US$90). In September last year, Glenmorangie bottled its first whisky made from barley kilned with woodland botanicals. It was followed by the launch of the second instalment in the whisky brand’s ‘It’s kind of delicious and wonderful’ campaign in November.
