Glenmorangie – The Quinta Ruban 14yo
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 14 years
Abv: 46%
Non-chill filtered
(tasting note from Nov 23, 2020)
Glenmorangie has a fairly large number of whiskies in their lineup. I havenโt heard much to tempt me into the distillery offerings, but this particular expression was strongly recommended to me, so I picked it up to give it a listen. I make the 14yo distinction here, because they seem to also have a 12yo Quinta Ruban.
Bottle notes
โThis whisky offers a nose of rose-scented Turkish delight, honeysuckle, tangerine and dark chocolate. A soft, velvety texture leads to tastes of berries and nutmeg entwined with mint chocolate and Seville orange, then a bold and deep finish.โ
Nose
Citrus fruit immediately upon entry – lemon hints and strong orange. The rind of the fruit seems to be prominent. Chocolate undertones carry the fruitiness along. I’m struck by the (unpleasant) memory of a Christmas stocking “chocolate orange”. The memories of that travesty may be unpleasant, but this nose is anything but. It is rich, deep, strongly aroma’d, with hints of the barrel spice creeping in on the edge. The barrel wood grows with time in the glass, and presents a wonderful serving of oranges on the staves of the wooden barrel. Definitely some nice complexity, layers, and an evolving nose.
Palate
Sweet, vibrantly orange, spicy but not overly so. The heat is tamed wonderfully with a rich, sweet coat. The orange is lovely, and whatever chocolate I detect is the furthest thing possible from the dreaded Christmas stocking “chocolate orange”. The barrel notes that come stronger with time in the glass similarly present themselves on the palate later on, a wonderful evolution of the dram that presents such an interesting journey.
Finish
A lovely slow ride of fading sweetness, field freshness. Lingering, departing spice.
Final Thoughts
This is a lovely, sweet dram of whisky. The citrus and sweetness are prominent throughout, and tames the strong abv, making for a dangerously smooth drink. There eventually comes such a prevalent undertone of wood notes that I feel as though I’m drinking it straight from the barrel. Rich, smooth, a delight on the nose, a taste that brings new angles to that, and a finish that lets you down gently and smoothly.
This has been on my ‘to get’ list for a while, based on a conversation with a co-worker, who professes this to be the very best whisky he has ever tasted. After a second conversation where we explored similar/differing preferences (for example, he is not a Glenfiddich 12 fan, same as me), it felt like our preferences were close enough that I gave it a try. Very glad I did, and delighted that this 14yo expression is part of the Glenmorangie core lineup.
