I was looking for another Scotch to replace Craigellachie 13 as a cheap daily drinker. The Craig is too good and demanding for a daily drinker, I think. Not that easy to find cheap as well, so I'm rationing that stuff. Glenmorangie 10 it was.

Distillery: Glenmorangie

Region: Highland

Price: ~50USD/750mL

Cask Type: Ex-bourbon, first and second fill

ABV: 40.0

Chill-filtered: Yes

Color: 0.2, pale straw (E150a).

Rested for ~10 minutes, before drunk neat in a glencairn.

Nose: Persimmon, green apples, and an undercurrent of apricot that I wish was a lot stronger.

Palate: Orange peel, grape stems, almond, hint of vanilla cream, strawberry, golden raisins towards the end. Gets slightly spirity towards the end too, but mostly a pleasant heat. Too zesty and astringent at the start. Surprisingly acceptable texture given the ABV and chill filtering.

Finish: Medium length, better than I expected. Pears, golden raisins again, almond pudding, frozen grapes, strawberry again.

Conclusion: It isn't even close in complexity, texture and intensity to Craigellachie 13 (got that 65USD/1L on sale, not available at that price anymore, hence rationing it). The notes in the Glenmorangie are all fine, there's nothing outright objectionable for me. My problems lie in the balance and intensity. Astringent, zesty and tart notes are way too upfront, and this is coming from a guy that loves the herbal notes in Craigellachie. Sweet, fragrant notes are subliminal. Not enough to balance out. It would nose better if the apricot was much stronger on the nose, with tart green apple cutting through it in a supporting role instead. The palate would also be much better if the zesty, astringent stuff was in the background to add depth and balance. I would have loved the almond, cream and strawberry front and centre. The finish is surprisingly fine once the residual astringency from the palate fades away. I like the pears and frozen grapes especially. Almond pudding could stand to be stronger. At 40% the overall product is also not intense enough for me, balance aside. It's still drinkable... just uninspiring.

If it were named by the SMWS: Strung Along

Score: 74

Scotch Review #21, Whisky Network Review #23

H.Y.