Glenmorangie, one of the prominent distilleries of single malt Scotch whisky, is once again ready to to show it's magic. The famous distillery has recently declared the release of a luxurious whisky which has been aged for a mind boggling 23 years : The Grand Vintage Malt 1997.
1997 may seem like an ordinary year to some. To some others, it might be a glorious or perhaps, a tragic year. But few special people remember it as a year when the seeds of Glenmorangie’s Grand Vintage Malt 1997 were sown. It was distilled in that year and was ready to be aged. But not like some ordinary whisky. It was aged in bourbon casks for almost a decade which was later transferred into the red wine casks of Cháteau Montrose winery located in the Saint Estephe appellation of Bordeaux, France. There it was again aged for an additional 13 years. It was aged this extraordinarily long to create ‘extraordinary berries depths’ . The brand was influenced to introduce this beast because it believed that whisky aged in bourbon casks brought “classic citrus notes“, whisky “long finished in Olorrso sherry casks gave sweet layers and spice” and some secret cask also played their part. Being a confident and reputed distillery, Glenmorangie doesn’t believe something out of thin air. Their belief regarding their whisky’s aging is certainly true and not just some mere belief.
“Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1997 is a dramatically different whisky, vibrant with red berries and tingling spice, melting marzipan and floral notes. Inspired by my dream of a more expressive single malt, it wonderfully embodies Glenmorangie’s kaleidoscopic style.”
By Dr. Bill Lumsden (Director of the Whisky’s Creation)
This masterpiece of Glenmorangie has been priced at $900. It’s a bit fancy but it is worth it. The distillery has proven itself to craft a wonderfully fruity and delicate spirit, ripe for experimentation by introducing the 23 year aged whiskey. What else shall we expect from a distillery whose copper stills will make even an adult’s eyes bulge out in a childish manner. For the stills have their necks no shorter than a giraffe’s! This wondrous idea doesn’t just creates more space for a child’s imagination but also creates more space for taste and aroma. The colour of this whisky is deep ocher.
Tasting Notes
On the nose, it has fantastic floral notes of Roses, jasmine and cloves. It also provides aromas of red berries, mint toffee, pastries or cakes.
On the palate, it has a slightly tingling, gently spicy taste, which is further followed by a symphony of sweet candy flavours, red berry fruits with pineapple and pear and mandarin wedges in fruit jelly.
The finish is secret, rich, long and delicately spicy.
It is served best at room temperature with a little water or 2-3 large cubes of ice. This gives additional notes of roses and cloves with a subtle spiciness of sweet chilly, cloves and ginger. It has 43% alcohol by volume.
“Through the years, our whisky creators have dedicated themselves to their craft, in pursuit of perfection. These peerless whiskies are the culmination of their art. In celebration of such mastery, we bring their most rare and treasured creations to the discerning connoisseur.”
By the House Glenmoranfie
The Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1997 is the latest installment in the Bond House number 1 Vintage Series. This breath-taking series is named after the largest of Glenmorangie’s 19th century Bonded Warehouses. The other delicious whiskies in these series are Grand Vintage Malt 1996, 1991,1993,1989 and 1990. The 1996 edition which preceded the 1997 one, has won multiple awards. For instance , it won the luxury Masters 2020 Gold, SFWSC 2020 Silver, IWSC 2020 Gold, ISC 2020 Gold to name a few. We are quite sure that the latest 1997 edition will prove to be no less worthy.
You can feel the pleasantness of the Tarlogie Springs, Glenmorangie’s own water source, in this wonderful spirit. Hence, the value of the spirit isn’t surprising since the spring has been forcing it’s way through layers of limestone and sandstone for a hundred years and are Glenmorangie’s most prized asset.