Review #291 - Glenmorangie 12 Year Palo Cortado Finish

Here we have another of Glenmorangie's 'Barrel Select' releases - this time, the emphasis is on finishing casks that previously held Palo Cortado sherry. This type of fortified wine is generally dry; it begins aging under a protective yeast flor, similar to Amontillado or Fino sherries, but the flor is lost during the aging process, and oxidation begins, moving the Palo Cortado in the direction of an Oloroso sherry style. It ends up between the dry and sweet sherry styles, still leaning dry; they often bring flavors of dried fruits, nuts, and citrus.

Glenmorangie does give this bottle to us at a preferable strength of 46%, higher than most of their core range, but there are no statements on the bottle about chill filtration or added coloring.

Glenmorangie 12 Year Palo Cortado Finish

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 100 (2024)

Age Statement: 12 Years

Strength: 46% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon casks, finished in ex-Palo Cortado sherry casks

Details: Bottled in August 2022

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 5 months; bottles at 80% (blind tasting) and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: A bit soft overall - not too powerfully scented. Rounded, with a mix of baking spices, orange peel, and blanched almonds. Clove, cardamom, nutmeg, and brown sugar are the focus; more woody with time, and sweetness grows with time.

Palate: A medium-thin mouthfeel, maybe medium at most; plenty of oak now, as the mellow distillate allows the casks to take center stage. Brown cooking spices, brown sugar, and cardamom add a baking side; again, we get some orange, but also lemon citrus, as well as soft sherry wine. It's mellow, if a bit sharp and sweet at times.

Finish: Medium length, and spices and brown sugar are still the focus. There are soft white fruits and a hint of dusty nuts at times; middle of the road, overall.

Final Note: We were a little bit surprised by this bottle - we've seen overwhelmingly positive reviews in general, but our experience with this whisky was more average. There wasn't anything particularly offensive, it was just a bit plain and mild - common flavors, balanced between sweet and drying, but no notes that were particularly unusual, and the strength didn't add any punch.

On top of that, it certainly isn't a cheap bottle, coming in around $100 in our area - because of that, our value score suffers a bit.

Our Average Rating: 5.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 4.74