The annual release of the new addition to Glenmorangie’s Private Edition series is always a highlight of the whisky calendar, and 2019 sees the release of Glenmorangie Allta. This is the 10th anniversary of the Private Edition series and, like all the years and releases before it, Allta doesn’t fail to delight.
The Private Edition series is an opportunity to explore and enjoy Glenmorangie in a new light. Whilst each annual release is a limited edition that comes and goes, there is certainly fun, interest, and tastebud-pleasure to be derived as the whisky makers play around with Glenmorangie’s DNA.
The whisky calendar is blessed these days to have annual events and annual releases that we all look forward to. For example, Islay-philes hang out each year for the Feis Ile bottlings, and Ardbeg fans are always keenly anticipating May for Ardbeg Day and the release of the special Ardbeg limited edition that accompanies it. For those who prefer a more typical “Highland” style of whisky, there is always huge interest in the annual release of Glenmorangie’s Private Edition bottling. This year’s release – Private Edition No. 9 – is called Spios. Glenmorangie Spios.
At the start of every year, we all sit down with our calendar and enter all of our annual events and occasions: The public holidays. Your partner’s birthday. Your dentist appointment. Your wedding anniversary. The release of the next Glenmorangie Private Edition bottling. The excitement this year revolves around Bacalta.
Glenmorangie’s Private Edition range is a special once-off release that comes out each year to showcase a new variation of the Glenmorangie flavour profile. Through the use of different casks or wood regimes during maturation, or by using different varieties of barley (or different peating levels), the usual Glenmorangie DNA is given a tweak and a nudge to explore new and – without fail – delicious flavour territories. Some within Glenmorangie (including Dr Bill Lumsden himself) have hinted or suggested that the Private Edition range showcases experimentation but, to my palate, the results are consistently too successful and too good to be mere experiments. No, this is a product line that knows what it’s doing. And for those who are curious, in terms of volume, the Private Edition range makes up less than 1% of Glenmorangie’s total annual production, so it is genuinely a very limited product.
The good folks at Glenmorangie continue to explore new flavours and forge new paths in their pursuit of interesting and tasty whiskies. Well, I say “good folks”, but perhaps “the good doctor” would be more appropriate, as it is Dr Bill Lumsden who has once again pushed the boundaries and played around with the ingredients.
Whilst it would be easy to rest on their laurels and be satisfied with their core range aged expressions (The Original, 18yo, 25yo, etc) and the Extra-Matured set (Quinta Ruban, Lasanta, and Nectar d’Or), Glenmorangie continues to add to their portfolio with their Private Edition whiskies. These include releases such as Ealanta, Companta, Taghta, etc, and you can read Whisky & Wisdom’s reviews on these also. (Links further below). But let’s get to the point: Glenmorangie’s latest release and the new kid on the block is the Tusail. (Gaelic for originary)
Companta …if there’s one thing that gets hard-to-please whisky enthusiasts excited and eager in anticipation, it’s news of a new Glenmorangie release. Even more so when the release in question is from the annual limited Private Edition range. The Private Edition range has included such previous gems as Ealanta (Jim Murray’s World Whisky of the Year, 2014), Artein, and – my personal favourite – Sonnalta PX.
And so, not surprisingly, I was pretty keen and eager when I learned the latest instalment, Companta, had finally reached our shores. After hearing so many wonderful things about it from some industry friends & colleagues whose palates I trust, I was delighted when I finally had a chance to taste this new expression. I’d love to just hit you with my tasting notes and call it a day, but I wouldn’t be doing the whisky or the distillery justice if I didn’t give a bit of background information first.
First of all, let me put all my cards on the table and confess that I have quite a personal affinity for Glenmorangie. I’ve visited the distillery many times; I’ve enjoyed pretty much every release they’ve put out; and I’ve spent some time with Dr Bill Lumsden over a meal or two to know what makes him tick. But as someone who’s always at the coal face of tasting and critiquing whiskies for the purposes of SMWS imports, I can certainly be objective enough to know when a whisky is good or bad, regardless of its pedigree. In this instance, make no mistake: Companta is a stunningly good whisky.
Glenmorangie is famous for many things and it’s hard to write about the distillery without making mention of them for the uninitiated. Tucked away up in the Highlands, north of Inverness in the township of Tain, the distillery draws its water from the Tarlogie Springs; a very rare example of a Scottish distillery using hard water. (Almost every other distillery uses soft water). Glenmorangie features the tallest stills in Scotland, resulting in its famously light, fragrant, complex whisky.
However, where Glenmorangie has really broken from the pack in recent years is its wood regime. With up to 60% of a whisky’s final flavour being influenced by the oak cask it matures in, the quality of the wood is critical, and Glenmorangie goes to great lengths to ensure a supply of top quality casks. Its wood regime is legendary, as is the man behind the magic – the aforementioned Dr Bill Lumsden. Whilst Glenmorangie can’t claim to have invented cask finishing (or extra maturing, as it’s often termed these days), they certainly excelled at it, and Dr Bill has been at the helm of enormous research into both wood science, cask preparation and treatment, and learning what casks can (and can’t) do. Carrying the title of Glenmorangie’s “Director of Whisky Creation & Distilling”, he has tried all manner of experiments and exercises in finishing whiskies in casks that previously matured or seasoned some other wine or spirit. Bourbon casks, sherry casks, wine casks, rum casks….the list is impressive. And, bear in mind, the public only hears about and tastes the finishes that work. Bill doesn’t mind sharing that plenty of experiments miss the mark…..or worse!
The Glenmorangie Distillery
But if you wanted an insight into just how complex and creative Dr Bill’s work can be, this Companta release illustrates it perfectly. The whisky is a vatting (a combination, or assemblage) of two different extra maturation campaigns. Firstly, Glenmorangie spirit that was happily maturing in traditional American white oak ex-bourbon barrels was transferred into casks that had previously held Grand Cru wine from Clos de Tart. Secondly, another batch of spirit undergoing traditional ex-bourbon maturation was transferred into casks that had previously held a sweet, fortified wine from Côtes du Rhône. After a suitable period of second maturation, these two campaigns were then combined (evidently taking many trials and attempts to get the balance just right) to create the magic that is Companta – the Scots Gaelic word for friendship.
And so, finally, to my tasting notes:
Nose: Glenmorangie’s DNA is readily identifiable at the heart of the nose, but there’s plenty of new colour and decoration around the sides. There are some rich fruits like currents, berry compote, and stewed plums to tempt and tantalise, as well as rhubarb and….toffee? It’s one of those noses that offers you something new each time you go back to it.
Palate: Sweet toffee, butterscotch, dark chocolate and Cherry Ripe bars. Honey drizzled on oats. At 46% ABV and non-chillfiltered, the mouthfeel and texture is rich, soft and heavenly. A hint of Highland heather smoke lilts around also.
Finish: More chocolate notes (choc custard?), and finally the malt has a chance to rear its head and remind you that this is whisky, not dessert.
Comments: Yet another shining light in the Glenmorangie stable, and a great example of what finishing in exotic casks can do when it’s done right. I love that this offers all the staples of a good Glenmorangie dram, but then goes in other directions and broadens the spectrum to embrace more chocolate and fruit notes. Amazingly and intensely complex and complete. Well done (again), Dr Bill.
Companta is available now in all good liquor outlets around Australia, and has an RRP of $170. Get it before it’s gone and enjoy one of the most unique and complex drams I’ve tasted for quite some time.
Cheers, AD
PS: Whisky & Wisdom has reviewed other Glenmorangie releases in the Private Edition range. You can read info on each bottling and our tasting notes for each release by clicking on the links below…
