A Comprehensive Look at the Glenmorangie ‘A Tale Of’ Series
For me, Glenmorangie has always been one of those whiskies considered to be a ‘safe bet’. You know the ones I mean, right? Drams like Johnnie Walker, Jameson’s, and Jack Daniel’s.
Is it the most premium whisky, comparable to the likes of The Macallan? No, but it isn’t trying to be. Instead, it’s unapologetically Scottish and is typical of everything there is to know and love about a dram from the Highlands. There’s sweetness, there’s fruit, there are floral notes, there’s complexity, depth, and character, and there’s plenty of old oak wisdom to be enjoyed in every sip.
While Glenmorangie whisky’s always been very popular, at the moment it’s enjoying a fantastic run thanks in part to the excellent ‘Once Upon a Time in Scotland’ marketing campaign, in collaboration with Han Solo and Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford. If you’ve not yet checked it out, please do so, as I’m certain you’ll love it.
While they’re known for typically playing it safe, occasionally they do like to push the boat out and try something different and unique. Especially when the ‘Willy Wonka of Whisky’ Dr. Bill Lumsden is particularly hands on, just as he was with their ‘A Tale Of’ series.
For today’s blog, I thought I’d look at this series in more detail and quickly review each of the six drams making up Glenmorangie’s ‘A Tale Of’ series.
What is the Glenmorangie ‘A Tale Of’ Series?
Before we can get to the good stuff and start reviewing these drams in more detail, I first need to bring you up to speed with precisely what this hugely popular series of bottlings actually is.
‘A Tale Of’ series is a selection of limited-edition, experimental bottlings from Glenmorangie, created by Dr. Bill Lumsden. The series was launched back in 2020 and is based upon a number of different cultural experiences, feelings, memories, and emotions experienced by Dr Lumsden himself. Each whisky in the collection is bottled at an ABV of 46% and features a different and unique cask finish, accompanied by exclusive themed packaging.
This selection of whiskies really brings the creative side of whisky into the spotlight. Each bottling tells a different story and is designed to take the drinker on a sensory experience like they’ve never experienced before. The drams making up this collection are:
- A Tale of Cake
- A Tale of Winter
- A Tale of the Forest
- A Tale of Tokyo
- A Tale of Ice Cream
- A Tale of Spices
The first bottling in this series of drams came in 2020, in the form of A Tale of Cake. This particular dram was inspired by a series of Dr Lumsden’s happiest memories, which just so happened to involve cake. (Me too, Bill. Me too).
As you can probably gather, this bottling was created to bring prominent cake notes to the forefront. Think vanilla sponge, fruity jam, rich buttercream, nutty, and slightly chocolatey and you’re in the right area.
The whisky was initially matured in bourbon casks to coax out the vanilla notes, before being transferred to Tokaji wine casks to really give the whisky an extra level of sweetness and body.
On the nose there are prominent fruity aromas here, coming in the form of baked apples, raspberry jam tart, and caramelised orange. There are also prominent scents of honey-drizzled figs, white chocolate buttercream, and vanilla custard.
On the palate, strong flavours of maple syrup, Bakewell pudding, and Madagascan vanilla ice cream are present from the first sip. As these dissipate, they’re joined by chocolate orange bread and butter pudding, cherry Bakewells, toasted almonds, and summer berry compote.
The finish offers up a tannic and oaky mouthfeel with amazing body. It lingers, leaving strong notes of chocolate honeycomb, buttery croissants, apricot preserve, and a whisper of vanilla.
The second bottling in this series takes drinkers to a winter wonderland filled with crackling log fires, snowy backdrops, fresh alpine scents, winter berries, rich and calorific comfort food, and festive baking spices.
Winter is reportedly one of Bill’s favourite seasons of the year. He wanted to create a dram that evoked the feelings and memories of a cozy winter. To achieve this, single malt whisky was matured in bourbon barrels before being transferred to casks which once held Marsala wine to impart those rich and fruity notes.
On the nose, you initially get salted caramel, chocolate coated peanuts, heather honey, and apple and cinnamon pie drenched in vanilla custard. Sniff again, and there’s a hint of citrus to be found.
On the palate, crystalised ginger, chocolate raisins, Victoria sponge cake, and buttery shortbread are the prominent flavours. As these fade, they make way for tastes of sticky toffee pudding, vanilla ice cream, poached pears, and orange blossom honey.
The finish is lengthy and warming, just like you’d want in winter. There’s a slight kick in the form of ginger cake and nutmeg, accompanied by rich chocolate torte, red winter berries, and chocolate fudge cake. Talk about decadent.
A Tale of the Forest
Up next, we’re venturing deep into the forest to look at the third release in this hugely popular series of drams.
A Tale of the Forest was created to arouse feelings of peacefulness and solitude, just like you’d experience in the heart of a beautiful green forest. It was inspired by the natural woodland found close to Dr Lumsden’s home.
As you might expect, this is a dram featuring prominent floral, herby, and woody notes. It’s also a prime example of why Dr Lumsden is also referred to as the ‘Mad Scientist of Whisky’ because it was made with barley that had been kilned with botanicals including juniper, birch bark, heather, and a touch of peat.
On the nose, there are obvious aromas of ripe juniper berries, fresh sage leaves, pine needles, toasted oak, and ripe orchard fruits. There is also a suggestion of campfire smoke and roasted marshmallows.
On the palate, prominent citrus flavours shine through, accompanied by fresh mint leaves, sweet vanilla oak, golden heather honey, wild hibiscus flowers, and peanut brittle.
The finish is robust and drawn out. Both the peat and the heather used during the kilning process really make their presence felt here. There’s also a piney, oily mouthfeel, capped off with honey, baking spices, pink peppercorns, and menthol. There’s a lot going on with this finish, and it’s likely to be one of the most complex you ever encounter. Take it from me, that’s no bad thing.
From the magic of the forest to the neon urban metropolis of Tokyo, Japan next.
As you may have guessed, because of his role as director of distilling and whisky creation, Dr Lumsden has spent a great deal of time in Japan over the years. This expression was therefore inspired by his time in Japan, namely in the gorgeous city of Tokyo.
If you like your drams extravagant and unique, this one will not disappoint as it was partially aged in extremely rare Japanese Mizunara oak casks. Made from a blend of drams aged in both bourbon and sherry casks, along with the Mizunara-aged whisky, it features custom artwork created by celebrated Japanese artist Yamaguchi Akira and yes, the packaging and label really is as beautiful as you might expect.
On the nose it’s a very fresh and fragrant dram, this one. There are proud aromas of cherry blossom, creamy vanilla ice cream, burnt orange peel, sandalwood, and manuka honey.
On the palate, that first sip reveals layers of zingy citrus fruits, balanced beautifully by tannic oak, toffee apples, mixed peel, pickled ginger, Battenburg cake, pink peppercorns, and creamy rice pudding with strawberry jam.
The finish is medium in length and offers up more notes of orange and citrus, along with dark chocolate hazelnut caramels, and praline.
The penultimate release in this series is the enormously popular A Tale of Ice Cream. With a name like that, I’m sure you can guess why it’s been such a winner, right?
Like me, Dr. Bill Lumsden has a sweet tooth, with a particular penchant for ice cream. This dram was inspired by his favourite ice cream parlour and the amazing ice cream flavours he’s enjoyed there over the years.
As you might expect, vanilla is the star of the show here and it is the perfect example of what can be achieved with those amazing oak casks. To bring the vanilla flavours to the forefront, Dr Lumsden hand-selected casks with a high vanillin content. Vanillin is the compound found in oak which is intensified dramatically when the wood is toasted. Toasting the wood breaks down lignin in the oak which helps to release compounds including vanillin, which then caramelises. Glenmorangie toasted the casks in a unique way to really intensify those vanillin notes, and boy, can you tell.
On the note, guess which aroma you get first? Of course it’s sweet vanilla, along with buttery brioche bread, Scottish tablet, candied citrus peel, lemon meringue pie, and golden caramel. Another whiff, and your nose is greeted with a burst of honey and candied almonds. Wow!
On the palate, you initially get a rich and creamy burst of sweetness before the vanilla enters the fold. There are flavours of hot buttered croissants, golden honeycomb, crème brulee, coconut and jam sponge, festive mince pies, and candied peel.
The finish is one of the lengthiest you could imagine, and offers up a long and drawn out taste of salted caramel, rich apple and toffee crumble, vanilla custard, and breakfast waffles drizzled in lashings of golden syrup. Yes, I did drool slightly while writing this, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
And finally, last but by no means least, things are getting a little spicy with this particular dram.
A Tale of Spices is the latest release in this series of whiskies and was inspired by the many spice markets the good doctor has visited during his travels around the globe.
For the first time ever, Dr Lumsden, along with Master Blender Gillian MacDonald, flexed their creative muscles and experimented by finishing bourbon-aged Glenmorangie whisky in not one, not two, not three, but four different types of oak casks, including a never-before used French oak Moroccan red wine cask, along with new charred oak casks, STR red wine casks, and PX sherry casks for a sweet and nutty finish.
On the nose, there’s a distinctly fresh and floral aroma, capped off by scents of rose water, fresh jasmine, ginger, candied jalapenos, autumn spices, chai tea, and lightly toasted oak.
On the palate, prominent flavours of brown sugar and cardamon burst through, accompanied by orange blossom honey, creamy nougat, Turkish delight, stem ginger, chocolate almonds, peppermint, and pear drop sweets.
The finish is particularly interesting and has a lot going on with it. Medium in length, it provides a smidge of winter baking spices, ripe apricots, tobacco smoke, leather, charred oak, candied almonds, and sugar syrup.
If you’d like to learn more about your favourite whiskies, or simply treat yourself to a dram or two in the process, head on over to GreatDrams.com and take a look at the diverse selection of unique whiskies we currently have in stock.
With an impressive selection of limited-edition, rare, and award-winning whisky, as well as heaps of whisky info on our blog, it’s the perfect spot for any whisky lovers out there.
Greg
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