Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years is one of the OG Glenmo core offerings that didn’t make it when LVMH took over. Though its soul lives on in all of the many, and varied, red-wine finished single malts in their portfolio. I guess, in a way, you could say it was reassigned.
Though, I’m honestly surprised it didn’t make it. I know Dr. Bill is a big fan of wine, especially French wine, and he works closely with amazing wine producers. I get that Quinta Ruban was needed to really stand out and was a favorite in the market. And as a Scotch maker, you pretty much HAVE to have an ex-sherry release, but I don’t understand why this wasn’t kept as a truly unique offering.
Honestly, I’d rather have a 12 yo version of this as a core release than the Nectar D’ Or. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy NDO, it’s great, but when it comes to core offerings of Single Malt Scotch, pure red wine cask finishes are missing, but we know they can be awesome.
But maybe this one sounds better than it tastes and it was pulled. With releases like this, the quality and quantity of casks always play into what can be a core offering. Only one way to find out.
Let’s get to drinkin’.
Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Natural Color
Style: Single Malt (Scotch)
Region: Highlands, Scotland
Distiller: Glenmorangie
Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley
Cask: ex-Bourbon
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 43%
Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years Price: NA – Auction, Specialty Store or Private Seller (originally $46)
Related Whiskey
Glenmorangie The Original 10 years
X by Glenmorangie
Glenmorangie Nectar D’ Or 12 Years
Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Years
Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 Years
Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy honey
NOSE
Winey sweet, cereal grain and malty sweet, vanilla taffy with some toasted pastry and raisiny dried dark fruit with a hint of copper.
Not the most complex Glenmo, or wine-fininshed whisky, I’ve had. It’s ok, just super light.
PALATE
Winey sweet, malty sweet, oak, vanilla taffy, toasted pastries and a light nuttiness with some raisny dried dark fruit and copper hint.
Again, not super deep or complex, just super light. It gets a tad earthy as it opens, but never passes being “just ok”.
FINISH
Medium-short -> Raisniny dried dark fruit, malt, cinnamon and oak with a toasted note.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Ok balanced, medium-light body and a soft lightly dry feel.
Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years – Overall Thoughts and Score
During the intro I mused about wondering why LVMH didn’t keep this one when they took over and I think we found out why: it’s just ok. I know Dr. Bill can do wonders with ex-Wine casks, so I know he could have revamped it, but maybe it would have taken too long? Maybe the quantity of wine casks was too much effort? Maybe they wanted to only use wine in special releases? Who knows?
Well, Dr. Bill, the accountants and the marketing team know, but you get what I mean. They had their reasons and based on the one we drank, those reasons were valid. However, if you see a Glenmorangie Burgundy Wood 12 Years in the wild it’s definitely worth picking up if it’s at a not-insane price. It’s a nice piece of recent Glenmo history.
SCORE: 3/5 (above average, worth checking out ~ B- | 80-82)
Thanks to Travis for the sample.
Overall
3- Nose (3)
- Palate (3)
- Finish (3)
- BBF (3)
