Review #75 - Glenmorangie Nectar D'or
Sauternes Cask Mini-Series: Part 1 of 3
Today we're starting a quick series about whiskies with at least partial aging in Sauternes casks. Sauternes is a variety of sweet French wine which relies on 'noble rot' (a sort of beneficial fungus that grows on wine grapes) to dry out the grapes and concentrate sugar, greatly increasing the sweetness of the resulting wine.
We're going to be looking for some sweeter notes in these whiskies, but the results may be a bit deceptive - we have 3 spirits that differ quite a bit in their underlying character: a highland scotch with little to no peat, a bourbon, and a heavily peated scotch whisky. We'll do the best we can to pick out the sweet notes, but it remains to be seen how effective the experiment will be.
This first review may be the easiest to pick out the Sauternes influence: here we have the Glenmorangie Nectar D'or, a non age stated release (although on the brand's website, it does specify that the total maturation time is 12 years, at least for the current releases) from one of the Highlands' most popular distilleries. In addition to the obligatory Sauternes cask aging, there is of course some ex-bourbon American oak aging, the backbone of Glenmorangie's cask philosophy, so we can expect sweet tones in abundance. This is bottled at 46% ABV, which is a good start, but there's no mention of chill filtration or added coloring.
Glenmorangie Nectar D'or
Scotland/Highlands - Single Malt
Current Locally Available Price: USD 66 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon (10 years) and Sauternes casks (2 years)
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 4 months; bottles at 100%, 60%, 90%, and 30% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Some spirit/distillate character up front - it isn't entirely covered up by the casks, and it's somewhat light and bright. It's mellow overall, but there are nice dry white wine notes and somewhat dry oak, along with lots of 'golden' flavors: honey, Chardonnay, golden raisins, hay, barley sugar, a bit of yeast and baked goods, too. There is barley grain and some dry vanilla, along with more baking spice of cinnamon, white pepper, cardamom, and brown sugar. Interestingly despite all of the bright baking flavors, there was also a slightly dirty note, sort of earthy or like wet pavement, like petrichor. We finish with fruits of white grape and pear, as well as some syrupy sweetness.
Palate: The mouthfeel is a medium-thin thickness, and we get both wet and dry oak to start. A bit spirity, too, but there are decent dry tones from those casks like white pepper and nutmeg, some cinnamon, some dry vanilla, even dry white wine. The sweet notes then fight back: overly sweet dessert wine, wildflower honey, golden raisin, white grape, apple juice, and some salted caramel. Just a little more fruit with some orange, but then we get to baking ingredients: buttery, malty, powdered sugar, and cake icing are in there. We finish with saltine crackers and some perfume, as well as a bit of grain.
Finish: Medium-short finish, with some dry oaky notes of tannins, vanilla bean, cinnamon, and anise; the ever-present white wine is there as well, along with some grainy malt - it's still somewhat spirit driven. We have fruits of white grape and orange, as well has some honey, a bit of yeast, and salty buttery crackers.
Final Note: Tasty stuff, not really exceptional, but you might rate this a little higher if it's your preferred flavor. It continuously walks the line between dry and overly sweet, and there are plenty of baking spice and wine notes to go around. There are times that it comes across a bit young, but also enough flavor development to keep us happy, at least for a little while. Value is okay - nothing extraordinary, but there are much worse ways to spend ~$65 on whisky.
Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 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: 6.13
