Review #322 - Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo

Glenmorangie distillery now has quite a range of special editions, including the 'Tale' series from the last few years. We started with A Tale of Cake in 2020, followed by Winter and Forest versions in subsequent years. Then, in 2023, this whisky, 'A Tale of Tokyo,' was bottled in July.

Taking inspiration from Japan's megacity, this whisky was created as a way to 'experience of Tokyo’s many sensory dimensions' and 'experiment with rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks,' according to the brand's website, something that Glenmorangie had not previously done. To replicate those sensory dimensions, they chose a more complex cask regimen: a triple selection of ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and that Mizunara oak.

Glenmorangie A Tale of Tokyo

Scotland/Highland - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 115 (2024)

Age Statement: NAS

Strength: 46% ABV

Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and Mizunara oak casks

Details: Bottled 2023

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 5 months; bottles at 90%, 60%, and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: Barley sugar and some toasty notes stick out first - grain, brown sugar, creamy malt, maybe some orange as well. It starts a bit subtle... acidic strawberries come forward, and with more time, stewed dark fruits arrive: fig and prune. More spices come, like cinnamon, caramel, and salt; in one tasting, we found mascarpone and fig gelato.

Palate: A medium thickness mouthfeel, and it comes with a bit of fizz. There's some oak up front, but it's nicely rounded; fruits become the dominant theme soon. Grapefruit, plums, oranges, figs, and raspberries appeared across our tastings; there's also a nice malty barley note, which transitions into milk chocolate. Honey, caramelized sugars, and chai spices add a baking element to the palate.

Finish: Fizzy grapefruit, blood orange, and other dark fruits continue the fruit theme, but baking notes grow stronger in the finish: dry vanilla, cinnamon, your classic 'Christmas spice' notes. There's a nice mix of sweet and sour sensations, and in the aftertaste: mocha, cardamom, hay, and hints of cream. It's a medium length finish.

Final Note: A nice sipper, which evolved over time - it started out with heavier baking spice notes, but as the level in the bottle dropped over a few months, the fruity notes from the sherry casks became stronger, especially darker fruits. All three cask types did impart their flavors into the finished products, though the Mizunara influence is very subtle.

A good whisky, but a slightly overpriced whisky, too, at least in our opinion. We know that Mizunara is a bit more expensive to work with, but $115 to $120 is a bit high.

Our Average Rating: 7.0 / 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: 5.71

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.