Whisky : Glenmorangie “North Highland” 17 Year, Exclusive Malts

Country/Region : Scotland/Highland

ABV : 56.1%

Cask : Refill Sherry Hogshead

Age : 17 Year (Distilled 3 Sept. 1996, Bottled Jan. 2014)

Nose : Berries, orchard fruits, and pastries. Dried berries and raisins opened up to a classic sherry profile of dates and figs—toasted buttery pastries with fruit jam and preserves. With time orchard fruits, apples and pears appeared along with a ribbon of gooey caramel.

Palate : Thick and rich with sherry-driven fruit and spice. Much more intense than the nose as a lovely malty undercurrent slipped behind notes of dried figs, dates, and cherries. Hints of coffee, pancakes, and maple syrup behind cherry syrup and citrus. Slightly tart notes of green apples and strawberry guava at the end.  

Finish :  Lingering notes of sweet concentrated dried sugars with dates and apple.

Score : 5

Mental Image : Jam and Biscuits

Notes : My initial thought after finally writing up a few notes on this and a provisional score was that maybe I should score this higher… But I found it to be incredibly dull. Inoffensive and pleasant, this never really jumped to a higher level, and I got a bit frustrated that it felt so ho-hum as I wanted to like it.

I do not see a way around the fact that this just felt boring— the nose was pretty typical sherry, and the palate was nice, but nothing was outstanding about the dram. The slightly tart note that appeared on the palate was a bit of a distraction toward the end and gave the dram a sharp ending to what was otherwise a rich sherry experience. The finish was also a bit short and otherwise unremarkable.  

This Glenmorangie was the last bottle of Exclusive Malts I had tucked away, and I wish I were going out with a bit more of a bang. Most of their releases were excellent, and I miss their consistent quality. Of course, if they still existed, they might not be as good— the single cask market has changed a lot in the last six years or so. There are many more distilleries holding back spirits to keep their blends and lineups well provisioned, many more independent bottlers are competing for casks, and there are just so many single casks bottled that the overall quality has dipped.