Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Allta Private Edition No.10

Style: Sweet and Clean

Nose:

Fragrant white peaches and apricots gently wrapped around by distinct grainy notes – oat, multigrain bread, muesli, etc. Floral aroma in the form of beer hops, very yeasty, in a nice way. Pear drops lightly coated with vanilla cream, some hay and chartreuse, bit grassy, earthy and musky. Interesting. Dry spice and black peppercorn lightly roasted by fire. Not your usual Glenmorangie, but very nice.

Palate:

Ah, the house style returns. Glazed ginger, pear drops taking a hint of grassiness, all sweet and clean. Cereal thoroughly brushed around the core, beer hops and vanilla humming softly at the backseat. Honey mead and just a dab of lemon balm waxing and smoothing the edges. Followed by some Bourbon cask traits, vanilla and oak emerges towards the end. Fresh and delicious.

Finish:

Residues of candied orange and ginger continue to linger, faint hints of vanilla oat to finish.

Thoughts:

Blink of an eye and we have reached Private Edition Number 10, time flies, doesn’t it? Now Allta is slightly different to its predecessors – instead of cask variations, it has switched its focus to a local wild yeast which replaces the regular stuff that the rest of Scotland is using and bottled on at a slightly higher abv. Result? The impact is rather obvious, we have a Glenmorangie with extra “yeasty” presence, especially its aroma. The yeast is definitely doing something alright, but I wonder if the translation is that straightforward? On the other hand, the palate is more akin to the house style of Glenmorangie, maybe the casks utilized here are less active and intent to let the distillate shine. Probably a rather technical dram but it is rich, clean and sweet with nuances building nicely around the core. Solid drop.

☆ [Recommended]

-Esmond