Glenmorangie is renowned for having the tallest stills in Scotland – if you hear any one thing about Glenmorangie, this is usually it.
Due to the height of their stills (the distillery claims their stills have necks that reach the same height as an adult male giraffe), Glenmorangie has adopted the giraffe a kind of unofficial mascot. In 2020, Glenmorangie even partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness and protect these animals.
I’m not sure how many people have seen the recent whisky and giraffe photoshoots, or the “giraffe gift tin” packaging for their 10-year-old Original? Fairly effective marketing, or perhaps something that just resonated with me as I happen to live in an area surrounded by a number of game reserves – and when I drive past and catch glimpses of their giraffes, I now find myself thinking of Glenmorangie!
I’m a big fan of Glenmorangie – in fact, a couple of their expressions were some of my very first whisky loves. Because of this, I was pretty excited to snag this bottle of whisky. It was officially released in April this year, but it’s only just begun to actually make an appearance on the shelves of bottle stores in my area.
While I’m sure it won’t be a concern for everyone, I’ll say it upfront: one of the things I like most about this whisky is its price. I found a bottle for $32 (roughly the same price as Glenmorangie’s 10-year-old – which I hear is in the process of being discontinued and replaced by a new 12-year-old expression). Most of the latest releases from Glenmorangie have been accompanied by a pretty hefty price tag, so it was refreshing to be able to get my hands on something of theirs that is more budget-friendly. It is a no-age-statement whisky, so that’ll be part of the reason behind its affordability.
The second thing I was intrigued by is the use of ex-rye casks for aging. Rye whiskies are known for their spicy character – think pepper and other baking spices, such as cinnamon or cloves, as well as fresh or herbal undertones – which would carry over into whiskies aged in ex-rye barrels. I have a soft spot for rye whisky in general, so I was really interested to see what effect their use would have on this whisky.
Ex-rye cask maturation in Scotch whisky is relatively rare compared to some other cask types, like ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and even ex-wine casks. However, there has definitely been growing interest by a number of distilleries in experimenting with ex-rye casks in recent years, and there are now a few Scotch whiskies out there that have been matured to some degree, or finished, in ex-rye casks (including expressions from Johnnie Walker, Ardbeg and Isle of Raasay).
This is also not the first time that Glenmorangie has experimented with ex-rye casks. Spios, which was released in 2018 as part of Glenmorangie’s Private Edition series, was a single malt matured entirely in ex-rye casks. Sadly, I never managed to get my hands on a bottle of this particular release.
Glenmorangie’s Triple Cask Reserve, as the name suggests, is a marriage of whisky that has been matured in three different types of cask: ex-bourbon, new charred American oak, and ex-rye casks. In itself, this is also something that strikes me as a little different to the other whiskies in Glenmorangie’s core range. Often their core range of whiskies are matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks before being finished for a few years in some other type of cask (their 12-year-old Lasanta which is finished in sherry casks, and their 14-year-old Quinta Ruban which is finished in port casks, for example). The Triple Cask Reserve breaks this pattern. It is regarded as another entry-level expression for Glenmorangie, and officially bottled at an approachable 40% ABV.
Glenmorangie Triple Cask Reserve – Review
Colour: Brassy gold.
On the nose: Ripe plums and pears. Cherry liqueur chocolates. Golden syrup and coffee flavoured hard-boiled sweets. Some sweet cinnamon. Woody and earthy aromas lurk in the background alongside a lingering note of cocoa.
In the mouth: Red apples and cherries. Dark caramel and aromatic wood. I found that there’s also an almost refreshing note, something like peppermint, which is present (a distinctive influence from the ex-rye casks, perhaps?). A hint of marzipan, and the gentlest tingle of pepper. Quite oily in texture, with a generally deeper and richer flavour than the nose would suggest. The finish that lingers is sweet, but this eventually gives way to a faintly drying sensation that I would not have expected.
I found the empty glass had notes of intensely sweet honey and hay.
Conclusions:
Overall, I think that Glenmorangie’s new Triple Cask Reserve is a great addition to their core lineup. It seems that the use of an interesting combination of casks has imparted a richer and more complex profile than one might expect from an entry-level whisky. It also seemed as if the influence of the rye cask in particular, while not overwhelming, was definitely noticeable. It almost goes without saying that if you’re not a fan of rye whisky, then this one might not be to your taste – but if you’re looking to get into rye whisky then this whisky could provide a slightly muted introduction to some of those traditional rye flavours. Perhaps not the most nuanced of drams, at around $32 a bottle it’s nevertheless an excellent value for money whisky, and it offers something a little different from the other expressions in Glenmorangie’s core range.
