Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 is the sixth release in their Bond House No. 1 Collection, a series focusing on specific vintages of whisky that get bottled “at their remarkable best”. They like to say that each of these whiskies has a unique story to tell but this one is more of a continuation of a story, than a unique tale all of its own.
This 1996 Grand Vintage was aged in ex-Bourbon white oak casks from the Ozarks in Missouri. The same location and ex-bourbon provenance as the casks used in the Astar and the Allta. Though, there was no mention of the 3-years of air drying the staves, so maybe not exactly the Astar, but it definitely continues the Ozark theme. It’ll be interesting to see how 23 years in those casks compares to the 5-10 years in the other two.
Let’s get to drinkin’!
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 – 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: 23 Years
ABV: 43%
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 Price: $880
Related Whiskey
Glenmorangie The Original 10 Years
Glenmorangie 15 Years
Glenmorangie Tusail
Glenmorangie Allta
Glenmorangie Astar
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 Tasting Notes
EYE
Honey
NOSE
Honey, dried apples, peaches, pears, malt, graham, vanilla, cereal sweetness and some graham, banana and a light nutty note.
Soft but complex, it’s an aroma worth taking your time with.
PALATE
Graham, dried apples, peaches, pears, honey, nuts, sultanas, vanilla, dried banana and malt with a touch of oak.
The golden, honied Sultana sweetness builds over time and a slight earthiness emerges. Tasty.
FINISH
Med-long -> Orchard and stone fruit fade to cereal grain sweetness and oak.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Perfectly balanced, med body and a soft elegant feel.
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 – Overall Thoughts and Score
Goddamn, this is elegant. Pure, beautiful elegance. The flavor and aroma are subtle yet expressive, it’s delicate yet complex, there is so much to love about this whisky. I just wish it had more body, more texture and a bit more depth. But that’s splitting hairs when we’re talking about something this good.
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 is a darn-near perfect Glenmo, it doesn’t need much more to be legendarily good. Maybe just 46% and NCF to give it that extra bit of body, roundness and depth to push it over the top on all the senses. But again, splitting hairs, it’s so dang good.
SCORE: 4.5/5 (very good, highly recommended ~ A- | 90-93) – Thanks to Travis for the sample
Glenmorangie Grand Vintage 1996 Review $880
Overall
4.5- Nose (5)
- Palate (4.5)
- Finish (4.5)
- BBF (4)
