Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter Review

Before digging more into the past, let’s dive into the most recent release: Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter. This is the yearly limited edition that came out at the end of last year (2021) and uses a combination of cask and a knit sweater-styled label to try and evoke the idea and feeling of winter. Something I’m quite familiar with living in the mountains at 5,800 feet.

To make this release, Dr. Bill took some 13 yo whisky and finished it in ex-Marsala casks from Sicily. This combo is supposed to help you imagine “the snug and magical feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace as snow blankets the world outside”.

Seeing as how this is my current reality – as I write this there is 4+ feet of fresh snow outside my window and I have a fire going – I’m going to be putting this to the test. So let’s get to drinkin’ and see how well Dr. Bill told A Tale of Winter.

Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter – 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, ex-Marsala
Age: 13+ Years
ABV: 46%

Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter Price: $110

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

White background tasting shot with the Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter bottle and a glass of whiskey next to it.

“Snowed in at home, our Director of Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill, began dreaming of this whisky. His goal was to capture the snug and magical feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace as snow blankets the world outside.” – Glenmorangie

Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter Tasting Notes

EYE
Dirty copper

NOSE
Golden dried fruit, spiced apple cider, malt, sticky raisiny sweetness, graham, honey and bits of cocoa, baking spice, olde candy.

Warm, spicy and fruity sweet with some darker notes holding it in check.

PALATE
Golden dried fruit, spiced apple cider, sticky raisiny sweetness, coppery candy, malty sweetness and some cocoa and baking spice.

Spiced fruity candy oil… if you can wrap your head around that idea you get the palate.

FINISH
Med-long -> Wassail, dried dark fruit, raisiny sweetness and touches of toast

BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Well balanced, medium-full body and a warm velvety feel.

Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter – Overall Thoughts and Score

Does it evoke the pleasant notes of a snowy winter? Yeah, it kinda does. More specifically, it reminds me of winters in UT as a kid. On snowy days my parents would set up a pot of apple cider and a cachet of spices to make wassail.

We’d go out into the snow and shovel and play and when we’d come back inside, the house would smell amazing from the spiced cider. After getting all of our snow gear off we’d sit around the table and sip from our warm mugs. If it was a weekend we’d also play card games or board games.

Glenmorangie A Tale Of Winter is a whisky that does capture the feeling of winter days and brings up memories I didn’t know I still had. It’s a warm, fruity, spiced whisky that goes perfectly with cold weather and a warm fire.

SCORE: 4/5 (good, definitely recommend ~ B+ | 87-89)

*Disclosure: The sample for this Scotch review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.