Review | Glenmorangie A Tale of Ice Cream

The north Highland distillery of Glenmorangie has launched the fifth bottling in its annual Tales series of single malts - the Glenmorangie A Tale of Ice Cream. The new limited-edition whisky is inspired by trips to a traditional ice cream parlour. 

It features spirit initially matured in ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period in high-vanillin virgin American oak barrels. These barrels have been lightly charred to bring out extra vanilla notes from the wood. A Tale of Ice Cream has been created by Gillian Macdonald, the Master Blender for Glenmorangie, and Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation for the brand. 

Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 by William Matheson and is in the north Highland town of Tain. The distillery was originally named Morangie, and became Glenmorangie in 1887. It has an annual production capacity of six million litres. The stills are the tallest in Scotland standing at over five metres (16.5 feet) - the same height as an adult male giraffe. It also uses the hardest water of any Scotch whisky distillery in production, which comes from the nearby Tarlogie Springs. The distillery and brand are owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey.

 

"By ageing Glenmorangie in bourbon and high-vanillin casks we have magnified the sweetest, creamiest side of our whisky. Sipping A Tale of Ice Cream is like sinking your spoon into a carousel of flavour. We invite whisky lovers old and new to indulge their sweet tooth and enjoy this ultimate treat." 

Dr. Bill Lumsden.

 

Glenmorangie A Tale of Ice Cream is bottled at 46% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. It is available via www.glenmorangie.com and the distillery shop in Tain, plus through selected whisky retailers worldwide. A bottle will cost £76.

 

Our Tasting Notes

 

The colour is deep gold and the nose is laced with expressive aromas. Vanilla pod and butterscotch rise first and are quickly joined by some woody spices - think of cinnamon and mace especially. Further aromas of caramelised peach drizzled in honey, marzipan and bitter orange oil also come through nice. Some white chocolate, vanilla custard and a hint of fresh coconut evolve with time.

On the palate this whisky has a silky, creamy and luxurious feel. It grips the taste buds. Luscious notes of apricot patisserie, vanilla custard and butterscotch rise first, and are quickly joined by brioche bread, fresh honeycomb straight from the hive and some white chocolate. Hints of cocoa powder and creamed coconut sit in the background. 

 

While the palate is largely driven by sweeter characteristics to begin with, later savoury notes begin to develop. These add superb balance. Imagine a combination of toasted almond, cinnamon bark and bitter orange peel married with freshly sawn oak, gingerbread and a drop of clove oil. These savoury notes add depth and complexity, but do not take away from the lusciousness.

The finish is of decent length. It is the savoury notes that linger but the sweeter elements take their time to disippate from your taste buds. The patiserrie notes fade first, then the fruit. This leaves the warming wood and baking spices to play on the tongue. This is a delicious experience. The fresh vanilla pod characteristic endures throughout however, and is joined right at the death by a hint of sweet orange fondant.

What's The Verdict?

Each Autumn we look forward to discovering what the next Tales release will be from Glenmorangie. The series has pushed the delicate Highland single malt in various directions by introducing smoke or interesting casks such as Mizunara oak in the past. 

 

A Tale of Ice Cream feels like going 'back to basics' - Glenmorangie in excellent ex-bourbon casks is the best for us and always has been. The introduction of the high-vanillin virgin American oak casks has dialled the classic notes up a notch or two, and the result is delicious. If you love Glenmorangie, then you will love this.