Glenmorangie A Tale of The Forest Single Malt Whisky

Glenmorangie A Tale of The Forest Single Malt Whisky

Crafting single malt whisky since 1843, when farmer William Matheson and his wife Anne followed their dreams and founded the Glenmorangie Distillery. Despite being owned by blenders, MacDonald & Muir, for most of the 20th century, Glenmorangie had an early focus on bottling its single malt. This became the distillery’s main output in 1959, and with the unique flavours derived from Scotland’s smallest stills, coupled with their pioneering use of wood finishing, Glenmorangie is now one of the world’s biggest selling malts. As a result, the distillery portfolio over the years has been extensive, and little has been spared for independent bottlers.

A remarkably interesting whisky from Glenmorangie, A Tale of The Forest, its first made with barley kilned with botanicals. Inspired by the woodlands near Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation Dr Bill Lumsden’s home, he decided to make a dram that would evoke the scents, sounds, and sights of the forest.
Kilning barley with botanicals used to be a common practice and Glenmorangie revived it here after a series of experiments. Juniper berries, birch bark, and heather flowers, as well as a little peat were used to kiln the barley to create a Glenmorangie “as lush and leafy as the forest itself”, in Dr. Lumsden’s words. In order to allow the spirit’s flavours to shine, he aged the whisky in bourbon casks including many refill casks.

    Nose:    Forest-like depth of taste and aroma, commencing with a bouquet of pine, juniper and coriander, along with roasted chestnut and an intriguing whisper of smoke.

    Taste:    Flavour explodes in the mouth. Whirls of peppermint. Bursts of eucalyptus. Rustles of bitter orange. All floating on clouds of vanilla with intriguing hints of black liquorice.

    Finish:    It concludes with a slow and luscious finish featuring lemon, orange and a soft hint of oak.