Released in 2008, the Glenmorangie Signet has since gone on to become a sleeper hit. It comes in an incredibly sexy bottle, made with chocolate malt (the roasted sort that's used in stouts, porters and dunkel beers) that was the result of the distillery's Master Distiller Dr Bill Lumsden having been inspired by a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, this was a whisky that was aromatically evocative, darker and more sensual, the combination of Bourbon and Sherry casks used for ageing and then sprinkled in with some Glenmorangie's oldest whiskies - it was always a cut above the Glenmorangie core range. And even though it had all the makings of a limited release that stood outside of the core range, it somehow withstood the test of time and became a year round offering that was always accessible and available for a great price - it was the definition of Glenmorangie's off-the-menu hit item. Every Glenmorangie fan worth their weight knew about it, and relished that it had stayed in production all these years.

And so imagine the excitement when Glenmorangie announced in 2024 that it was about to raise the bar with a new Signet Reserve - it felt like your favourite rock band just dropped a new album after a decade in hiatus! The new Glenmorangie Signet Reserve comes from the same spirit as the Glenmorangie Signet, however the Signet Reserve would come with an additional 1 year of ageing in Pedro Ximenez Sherry casks... and a £145 added price tag. This was probably the biggest sticking point for Glenmorangie fans that were intensely looking forward to the Signet Reserve. Now I won't dance around the fact that a near 75% increase in price (the Signet goes for £200, the Signet Reserve goes for £345) for an additional 1 year of ageing in PX casks does sound like a stretch - but seeing as we able to give both expressions a go at the recent Whisky Journey festival where Glenmorangie held a booth that offered priced drams for a selection of their expressions, we'll just have to put them to the taste test and see if the Signet Reserve is indeed worth it.

And so without further ado, let's give them a go! 

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Signet, 46% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber 

Aroma: A very captivating aroma filled with dark chocolate, touch of spices of aniseed and toasted barley. Building upon that with more on butterscotch, gingerbread cookies and chocolate coated bananas. It's incredibly aromatic and thoroughly evocative with superb richness and such distinct and sensuous scents.

Taste: It's incredibly rich on the palate as well, with a big hit of baking spices, as well as darker, more malty notes of chocolate, mocha, Italian espresso, and chai tea latte when combined with the spices. It's topped off with toasted almond flakes and outlined with orange cake. 

Finish: Long drawn out notes of Italian espresso, with a deep warmth.

My Thoughts 

Having been a big fan of the Glenmorangie Signet, with always a bottle lying around the house, I'm always happy to revisit it, and I have to admit that it is a whisky that I can never tire of despite the numerous years I've enjoyed it now.

It's incredibly rich and chocolatey, with such roundedness and sensuousness, it is not only entirely aromatic and evocative, this all also translates to the palate where it continues to build on that dark richness, superbly malty, and outlined by a perfectly complementary almond nuttiness and orange zest that always reminds me of biscotti and chocolate dipped orangettes. The finish too is so incredibly warm and aromatic. The Glenmorangie Signet always feels like a mug of coffee on a cold night - it is a whisky that nails that image so perfectly that nothing else comes close. 

But perhaps the new Signet Reserve will give it a run for its money?

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Signet Reserve, 46% ABV

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber / Copper

Aroma: Definitely more mature on the nose. Believe it or not, this is even more chocolatey, with more of an upfront scent of aromatic oak. It leads into chocolate coated orangettes and baking spices. And then there's also a more pronounced fruitiness of red fruits - it's incredibly intense of this dried red fruit character, and with more time, more and more of it begins to emerge. There's heaps of plums and cranberries, and a persistent body of dark chocolate.

Taste: Very decadent indeed, and yet very well balanced as well. It's rich and rounded, with great integration and a satisfying denseness and thickness to it - it's almost syrupy rich. Almost like a mixture of treacle and red fruits, all atop a backdrop of dark coffee and cocoa powder, topped off by a good sprinkling of baking spices.

Finish: Those baking spices and cocoa powder carries all the way through to the finish. And then it's on to banana slices dipped in chocolate. The spices are rather prominent here, with also a bigger note of polished wood. The finish is long and continues on with powerful notes of cocoa powder.

My Thoughts 

The verdict is clear for me - and damn is this tasty! This definitely shares a common DNA to the Signet, it has the same density and base chocolate-y richness, along with the signature Glenmorangie oranges that outline the whisky. That said, this builds upon the Signet, and rather surprisingly, takes the Signet in what I feel is a different direction. The PX cask, as one might expect, delivers loads of red fruits and plums, which goes perfectly with the chocolatey flavours, combining to give chocolate coated cranberries and plums, which were impeccably tasty.

I also found the Signet Reserve coming across much more mature, with a more pronounced agedness about it, even though it was only aged for an additional 1 year, it seems to take on more mustiness of wooden furniture and polished wood, that for me gives it more depth and complexity. With time, the differences between the Signet and the Signet Reserve only becomes more drawn out and clearer.

The Final Conclusion

Is the Signet Reserve a great whisky? Yes.

Is the Signet Reserve materially differentiated from the Signet? Yes.

Is the Signet Reserve worth its price? It's worth having a dram of it. To put it into perspective, I'd personally be willing to shell out an additional £70 for it.

My personal guess is that the Signet Reserve might be made from the same base spirit as the Signet, but I suspect that the average age of the Signet Reserve is much higher than that of the Signet, and I'm not talking about that additional 1 year of PX ageing. I'm guessing that much more well-aged whisky has gone into the Signet Reserve - it certainly feels much more mature and more well-aged, and if that's not true then Glenmorangie has certainly done a great job of creating a flavour profile that would seem that way.

For me, the Signet will always be a favourite of mine. Whilst I was initially alittle doubtful as to whether the Signet Reserve would really be a gamechanger, I have to say that having tried it, I much concede that it really has elevated the Signet to a whole new level and has given it more maturity, depth, complexity and added dimensions of polished wood and red fruits that truly does impress. To give proper credit, Glenmorangie has done a great job of taking a fan favourite and made it better - this is one of those rare times the sequel has proved better than the original. Ultimately, the price remains a question of personal willingness to pay, but I will say that the proof is in the pudding - the Signet Reserve is a stellar whisky indeed.