What is that note in the finish...

  • DigJazz
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    Joined: 13.07.2016Posts: 1CollectionDigJazzs CollectionRatings: 3

    I recently picked up a bottle of the Glenmorangie 18 Extremely Rare. I hadn't tried it before I bought the bottle, but I did a lot of research and decided I'd like it.

    Let me preface this by saying I'm still relatively new to the world of fine scotch, so my palate is surely not as developed yet as some out there. There is one particular note in the finish I'm having trouble identifying, and I was hoping for some help with it.

    The note arrives near the beginning of the finish, and I can only describe it as a blast of nuttiness. I'm not sure which kind of nut it would be, probably somewhere in the walnut/hazelnut spectrum, but that's just an educated guess. Either way, it completely dominates the finish for me. It also seems quite dry. I really detect it quite strongly, but I haven't really heard it mentioned in many reviews I've read (or maybe I have but they were talking about it in other terms).

    My guess is that this comes from the Oloroso influence, however I haven't detected in other sherried scotches I've tried, like Balvenie 15 or Aberlour A'bunadh. I believe I have detected it slightly in the Glenlivet 18, but not as much as with the Glenmorangie. So my question is...

    Does anybody know what I'm referring to? Does this taste appear in the Glenmorangie because it's been aged in Oloroso casks, but not in other sherried scotches because they were aged in another kind of sherry cask?

    I'm trying to pinpoint what this note is so I can know what I'm getting in to with other scotches that may have a similar note. Thanks in advance for the help and wisdom.

  • horst_s_2 Administrator horst_s_2 Joined: 01.07.2014Posts: 507Ratings: 661
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    You are right. This nuttiness comes from the Sherry casks. But I am not sure, whether it comes from the wood itself or from the Sherry. I lately smelled in an empty but just dumped Sherry cask and the smell of nuttiness was extreme.

    Kind regards, Horst Luening, Master Taster, Whisky.com
  • SuperDrams Member Joined: 20.11.2015Posts: 12Ratings: 30
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    Not an answer to your question but I have open a bottle of Craigellachie 13yo and it has a very prominent nutty quality. Unfortunately the label does not give any information about the casks it was matured in.

    No logo on the foam!
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