Being a distillery with nearly 200 years of history does not guarantee success in the present day. Creativity can be almost as vital as what is in the bottle. In 2020, Glenmorangie began a limited series of no-age-statement releases beginning with A Tale of Cake. Each ‘tale’ has a creative story from Dr. Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling for Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, and is meant to invoke a certain moment or feeling or place. These whiskies seem geared toward a different demographic than their core offerings, what with the emphasis on story and bright package design. The Glenmorangie A Tale of Winter is the second in the series and is meant to evoke the coziness of being inside somewhere on a cold winter day (or night). Though no age statement comes on the bottle, the scotch was 13 years old and finished in ex-Marsala wine casks for an undisclosed time.
Distillery: Glenmorangie
Region: Highland
Age: NAS
Strength: 46%
Price: $93.99
Maturation: ex-Marsala wine casks
Location: Tain, Ross-shire
Nose: Blackberry, almond, cherry, marzipan, fruit tart, medicinal, Fruit Loops, cherrywood, peat
Palate: Vanilla, cherry, wintergreen, pepper
Finish: Pepper, cherry
Comments: Water is not needed but can be a fun experiment. It pays to let this one sit and breathe some.
Adam – This Tale of Winter has to be careful how it is told. I have to approach the nose slow, letting the rich stone fruits and wood gently blossom, like walking into a banquet hall and taking the time to sort out the riches. If you rush in, everything tries to happen all at once and there appears a sharp medicinal tang that’s kind of unpleasant and takes a fresh approach to wipe away. The palate takes the baton from the nose smoothly and, if somewhat truncated to cherry and wintergreen with some pepper to carry you into the finish where the cherry appears again. The first few sips I had out of the fresh bottle, the cherry was so pure, it reminded me of what Twizzler Flavor Concentrate No. 5 might be like. Thankfully, with a little more oxygen and time, that sensation has broadened out into a lovely panoply of fruits. The cask influence here is dominant and pairs well with the already-sweet Glenmorangie base, the 13+ years giving the whole some nice complexity. I’m still not sure I buy this as a winter dram but that is fine, such a scotch allows me to write a tale of mine own.
Kate – For me this whole experience is like going to Disney World. There is all of this hype and time spent on the marketing/packaging. When I get into this scotch the nose hits me like the saccharine sweetness of arriving at Disney World. You are instantly steeped and immersed in this alternate universe that is saccharine sweet. It takes a moment to acclimate to the experience that is in my glass. Once I acclimate, it is ok but not amazing and a little cheesy. The taste is like a chemical version of real tastes like fruity syrup rather than compote. The finish lingers with you like the overwhelming experience that continues to ring in your ear long after you have left the theme park. Disney is for some people but not for me. This is the artificial version of the real thing.
Bill – The flavor really hangs in your mouth. It’s really long. I can see how having this along with a companion like a cigar or an espresso, to conflict against it. It’s nice, but also strangely hollow. I’m actually catching a bit of brine at the end now. So I can see, by the island coast in winter, there is a bit of that. This is a whisky where the tail wags the dog.
This whole experience is like going to Disney World.
Henry – The first elements of the nose make me think of cherrywood, with some light honey and a hint of peat which gradually makes itself known. Glenmorangie sweetness and oak burst on the palate, with wine cask predominating on the finish. The marsala imparts a strong dessert wine influence over all parts of the tasting experience, and as a dessert wine lover, that’s just fine with me.
Ben – It’s heavy, and you feel the weight of the liquid in your mouth and it takes a bit for the flavor to appear. The finish reminds me of cherry candy a bit. This isn’t a tale of winter for me. Maybe another season.
