This morning, instead of my usual Wednesday walk with the dogs, I went for a hike with my fiancée. The dogs are both unfortunately getting a bit older, and they needed a bit more rest (and shorter walks). My partner and I (on the other hand) are trying to get back in shape, so a walk for whisky Wednesday seems as good an excuse as any have a bit of exercise and to say cheers with a lovely dram. In today’s case that was the Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or.
I chose the Nectar D’or for today as my partner is a huge fan of Sauternes wines and she was eager to find out what it would do to a whisky (a category of drinks she’s a lot less fond off truth be told). I’ve had this dram a few times before and I remembered it as a whisky with quite a bit of the sweetness she longs for in a drink, but with enough complexity to challenge my palate as well. It’s not often we find a drink that’s to both our liking, so let’s find out if this one fits the bill!
Tasting Notes: Glenmorangie Nectar D’or
Stats:
ABV: 46% (92 proof)
Age: NAS
Distillery: Glenmorangie
Owned by: Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy
Category: Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Chill-Filtered: No
Natural Colour: No
Setting:
We poured ourselves a glass of this Glenmorangie Nectar D’or at the local lake (Spiegelplas) in Nederhorst den Berg. For the review however, I tried it again at night with my notebook at the ready. While enjoying the view of the setting sun from my office window I decided to forego the music and really spend some time alone with this dram.
Nose:
On the nose you’re welcomed by candied orange peel and honey. There’s a slight malty note in there as well, vaguely reminiscent of a granola bar. You can easily tell from the nose that you’re not dealing with a bourbon or sherry maturation, but white wine wouldn’t have been my guess either. If I would have tasted (or in this case “smelled”) this blind, I would have guessed it was a Port finish. But then again, Sauternes is a dessert wine, so perhaps that sits a bit closer to port (flavour wise) than most white wines do.
Palate:
The palate brings bolder flavours with it than the nose led me to expect. It’s a very mouthcoating dram and it has a lovely warming effect. Honey, liquorice, and cinnamon all intermingle quite nicely. But especially dark chocolate covered marzipan stands out. There are some slight dried fruit influences as well, with Sultana’s showing up most dominantly. With that many different notes you can already tell that this dram has achieved a considerable complexity and I must say that I do find the flavours well balanced too. It is missing something for me though, a little special zing if it were.
Finish:
The finish is your standard medium length finish, with the darker notes (dark chocolate and a little bit of tannin) wearing of rather rapidly. It doesn’t really evolve in the finish and I’m not finding any new notes. It is highly enjoyable, yet rather unremarkable.
Verdict:
This dram of Glenmorangie Nectar D’or leaves me rather… undecided. I cannot pinpoint what I find missing in this dram, as the flavours that I’m finding are all very enjoyable. When I focus on what I’m tasting, I’m finding all these lovely flavours that seem to be cohesive in the dram as well. And yet, it’s missing that special bit of magic. It doesn’t spark that sense of exploration in me, that keeps me going back for another dram time and time again.
Partly I’m glad that I bought a small bottle, as I don’t think I’d buy myself a full-size one any time soon. But then again… I wouldn’t turn a glass down of it either if someone offered it to me. It’s a good and delicious dram and there’s absolutely nothing here I dislike. I’m just left feeling it could have somehow been better, or a little more special at least. On the upside though, my partner loved this dram. And that means I finally have a whisky I can share with her, so perhaps a full size bottle needs to be bought after all… At roughly 65 euro in the Netherlands it can be regarded as “affordable” in today’s whiskey market. Affordoble yet not exactly the best of value.
Rating:
80/100
Value:
C+
