Glenmorangie Companta Private Edition Limited Edition Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky (2014) 70cl

Story for Companta:

Dr Bill had been visiting some top vineyards around Burgundy and the Côtes du Rhône, sampling wines and examining casks. A cask supplier put him in contact with Grand Cru vineyard, Clos de Tart – a monopole owned by the Mommessin family, which produces some extraordinary red Burgundies based on the Pinot Noir grape. The wines exhibit, as Bill recounted, that wonderful truffle-like, umami character – a hallmark of really fine Burgundy. Interestingly, the casks used to make Clos de Tart are strikingly similar to those built for Glenmorangie – tight-grained oak and air-dried for 36 months. Interesting.

Bill ordered a parcel of Clos de Tart barriques and began experimenting. With about 29 Glenmorangie experiments on the go, he had plenty of choose from. However, to add even more body and a truly unique edge, he moved south to the Rhône Valley, and found barriques which previously held Rasteau. This is a slightly unusual, lesser-known sweet fortified wine made with Grenache grapes, offering up an earthy heartiness.

After numerous trials, the final recipe involved an initial maturation in American white oak ex-bourbon barrels before a wine finish in 60% Clos de Tart and 40% Rasteau barriques. Then it was a case of watching the maturing whisky with extreme care until it was ready. The final product was bottled at 46%abv, non chill-filtered, with a beautiful cherry-red hue

Tasting Note for Glenmorangie Companta:

Nose: Heady, fruity nose with notes of chocolate and spice. Then comes an umami-like delivery of truffles and the forest floor. Bill specifically wanted this character to shine through in the whisky, and it does, beautifully. The typical red berry notes arrive a little later, developing slowly with hints of toasted almond.

Palate: Huge palate, far “bigger” than one would expect from the abv. There is a massive spice note, then something akin to chewing on pipe tobacco – sweet and savoury all at once. Black pepper comes through in a big way. Hints of sherbet, ginger, stewed prunes and then molasses. It’s quite chocolatey too, and tremendously complex.

Finish: Sweet, very long finish with hints of clove oil on the tail. A hint of muscovado sugar develops, a touch of chestnut mushroom too. It remains oily and mouth-coating for minutes.

Overall: Put simply: astonishing. This is perhaps the first truly successful red wine finish I’ve come across. Yes there are some fine wine finishes, but they focus on the wine and not the whisky. With Companta, what is being so deftly done is the fact the whisky leads the way with a rich backing from the grapes. It does take a particularly robust single malt to stand up to this kind of treatment, and first-fill bourbon cask Glenmorangie appears to be up to task. Highly recommended.

46% ABV

70cl