Glenmorangie Milsean

Stop number 8 on the SDT is Glenmorangie. I've had all four of their standard range bottlings; the Original 10 YO, Lasanta, Nectar D'Or, and one of my favorites, the Quinta Ruban. I enjoyed all of these, let's see if the Milsean (pronounced mill-shun, Gaelic for "sweet things") can hold its own. This Highland single malt is a NAS, but I estimate it's in the 10-12 year old range. It is finished for two and a half years in Portuguese red wine barriques, not to be confused with Port wine. What's the difference? Glad you asked. Both are made using the same type of grapes, but port wine is a fortified wine, meaning it has brandy added to raise the ABV. This scotch comes in at 46% ABV, is non chill filtered and has a natural honey gold color. The aroma is quite light and subdued with a surprising alcohol presence on the first sniff. Nothing too severe, but more than anticipated for a Glenmorangie. Faint cotton candy and sugary toffee are the first distinct notes I picked up. Flat cola follows. There's a definite bourbon-like presence, but more like an empty glass after finishing a cheap bourbon. Some light stone fruits are also present like apricots and nectarines. Really a weak aroma and not very exciting. The palate is completely different from the aroma. Incredible how intense and robust it is after struggling with the scents. Spicy at first, a spice that really intensifies in the first few seconds on the tongue. After swallowing, the spice quickly transitions to a fruity sweetness. Wonderful fruit juices like mango, plums, and sugary grapefruit. Some slight alcohol harshness on the back end but nothing that truly detracts from the experience. I don't want these tastes to end! Sadly, they do end, and somewhat abruptly. The finish is fairly short. Dry but sweet and a bit spicy. The mouthfeel is slightly oily and a bit creamy, and quite mouthwatering. This is very similar to the Nectar D'Or in that the palate is much more intense and interesting than the aroma, however the aroma on this Milsean is weaker. Tough to score this one. 3 for the aroma, nice but weak. 2.75 for the finish, too short but otherwise good. 4.25 for the palate, intense and unexpectedly fruity. 3.5 overall. Although if I were to consider the price ($100 locally) I would lower it to 3.25. A big thanks to a friend for this and the other two samples they provided for round one of the Scotch Distillery Tour. Cheers

Info: This spirit is one of 5000 bottles from Glenmorangie's limited edition "Private edition" series. "Milsean" means sweetness in Gaelic and is pronounced "meel-shawn." This edition references old-fashioned candy shops. The maturation cask is a bourbon cask, and the finishing cask is a red wine cask from Portugal's Douro region that was previously "toasted." A typical 46% ABV for the distillery. The color is a natural gold. The exact maturation age is unknown, but the finishing period is known to be two and a half years. Aroma: Fruity jujube. Tropical scents. Honey, melon, lemon, banana, and pineapple. Also a buttery note. Definitely reminiscent of a creamy candy. Taste: Tastes like banana cake drizzled with salted butter under a hint of bitterness like lemon zest. Truly unique! This is not a common flavor profile! Nice texture! The distillery's typical alcohol bite is present! The aromatic intensity is perfect and well-balanced. The palate focuses on butter and tropical fruits. A nice continuity of the aroma throughout, and a warmth is felt far down the esophagus. Finish: That fruity jujube impression again. Small gummy bears of various colors, a little oily and freshly made. Medium length (also typical for this distillery.) Overall: I really like this edition! I had heard good things, and the notes I read intrigued me. Popcorn? That's not my perception, but I can see how the "buttery" aspect I detect could be interpreted that way. Once the taste dissipates in your mouth, you quickly want more. You don't want it to end. It's "damn good" as they say. Perhaps not for those who seek intense sensations, heavy peat, or sherry bombs. It remains a scotch with sweet tropical fruit aromas. You won't get the punch in the face (maybe?) you desire. But you will get an avalanche of various fruity aromas. Bottles like this often don't retain their sweet aromas for long. Once opened, don't put the bottle away too soon. In short, I've said enough. A complex, original scotch, not too expensive, with good intensity at 46% ABV. For me, it's a 92%.

After a cold shift at work and heading into my only weekend off this entire December, it's time to open something new. I currently have a few smoked scotches open, so I need to balance the bar. It's time for something non-Macallan, and sweet. The Glenmorangie Milsean Private Edition. It's a robust 92 proof, and if I remember correctly, I paid just over $100 online for this bottle in the spring of 2016. It has a vibrant, golden yellow color and leaves very oily, long legs in the tasting glass. The nose seems very familiar - lots of candied corn, cotton candy, and vanilla, and it's so sweet that no oak barrel influence can be detected. It smells like an above-average American bourbon. Interesting. The first sip is more candy corn and milky powdered sugar that lingers on the tongue for what feels like an eternity. I think I felt a new cavity forming. This is far too sweet. The finish does offer a bit of a welcome burn of toasted oak to cut through all the candy, but even that seems a little muted. Just a quick flash of heat and oak, and then it fades with more sugary residue sticking to the tongue. It's so pronounced it seems like artificial sweetener - and not in a good way at all. I added a bit of water (more than just a drop) to see if I could break up the sweetness and reveal something else - it had no effect on the nose, but it did allow the oak to come through a bit more on the palate and finish. Thankfully. My final thoughts are that perhaps this is their interpretation of an American bourbon, but based on the high price point and the artificial-tasting candied profile, it's a failure. There are $30 bourbons in this country that would outperform this whisky and take its lunch money. Sadly, this is another disappointing offering from Glenmorangie in my opinion. I'm at the point where I only want small servings of Quintan Ruban and La Santa going forward. I've spent a considerable amount of money on this distillery and have had too many misses to recommend them, and I have no desire to try their new releases. You live and learn, I suppose. 2.75 stars. Cheers, friends.

Milsean is one of those bottles I kept overlooking until I thought they were all gone, then I found one and just had to try it. To save you the suspense, it's quite good and I'm happy I have it, but how does it rank? I really wish I knew more about these, but I'm guessing the spirit is 6-14 years old, and oddly, I think it's closer to the 10-14 year range, possibly matured in interesting wine casks. Nose: I detect an unusual note that is both slightly sour and candy-like, perhaps a blue or purple sweet tart mixed with a sour sucker and charred oak? There are also some barley and oak notes. I don't recall this sourness from earlier tastings, but what remains is a sweet and very appealing candy experience, which matches the candy stripe box design. The more I smell it, the more I detect some bourbon notes, like vanilla and caramel. Wow, I just returned to it after a few minutes and I can't even describe it; it's like a child's messy box of candy where they've opened several items, just hitting me with candy. Lemon drops and sour patch, and everything in between. Taste: It's definitely a mix of tart and sweet candy. Everything from cherry suckers to perhaps slightly chocolatey notes. Then a pleasant transition to a slightly tart and woody finish, showcasing the charred oak and a combination of almost powdered sugar and light milk chocolate powder. This is just a delightfully easy-drinking, sweet, and candied whisky. It's not very old or complex. It's not outstanding by any means. But it's an easy and very enjoyable pour that lets you switch off your brain. I'm thinking 2.0, but I'll raise it to 2.25 for how inviting it is. The unique notes here might warrant a few more points, but at the same time, the nose has a hint of wow, but more in the sense of "wow, what is that?" and the taste is mostly enjoyable and inviting, not wow. Anyway, it's a bit pricey at $100, but I wouldn't be against buying a second bottle.

This "Milsean" from Glenmorangie, released in 2016 as part of the Private collection, is a whisky I've seen frequently and chose not to buy. Now that I've sampled it, I'm relieved I didn't. Milsean, pronounced "Meel-Shawn," means "sweet things" in Gaelic. It is advertised as being very sweet and spicy. It's bottled at 46% ABV and has a burnished gold color. It was matured in bourbon casks and finished in red wine casks from Portugal. On the nose, it feels cool, fresh, and slightly sharp. It starts with a touch of spice on the nose, accompanied by fresh fruitiness like pineapple. It feels cool on the nose, with notes of vanilla powder and white wine. There's also chocolate fudge and acetone. It's not the easiest to smell. After a few minutes, it opens up to aromas of gooseberries. Green grapes is a very accurate descriptor for this whisky. After the first sip, I detected hard mint candy and more cool aromas. It also has jellybean notes. On the palate, it's a bit straightforward and mostly spicy. Notes of chocolate fudge and chili spice are present. A second sip revealed an earthy note, similar to what you find in red wines. It's dusty, and some red fruits are also detectable. The aftertaste is dry and short. It has a powdery finish that is so earthy it almost tastes peaty. Ginger is also present. Overall, this one didn't impress me much. Frankly, it seemed a bit young due to the spiciness, which wasn't balanced by other sweeter notes, and it didn't taste very sweet at all. When a whisky expression is named "sweet things," and it isn't sweet, people will feel let down because you're essentially misleading them. My rating for this whisky is a very fair 76 out of 100.

Watching the NY Mets struggle in extra innings against the Washington Nationals (April 21st: I was unwell since and catching up on reviews). No worries, I'll balance the slow burn with a Milsean; a scotch a friend sent to me. A floral, slightly earthy nose greets you. Rubbing alcohol is noticeable (perhaps it's my feeling unwell), cola, and confectioner's sugar. The aromas are quite varied, with no single theme dominating. Upon tasting the liquid, the palate is first met with a dry, spicy bitterness: reminiscent of grapefruit, black cherry, and oak. It's quite different from the nose. Ultimately, grapefruit bitterness prevails and lingers with some drying oak tannins. A touch of water softens the spicy quality (reducing the alcohol impact), which enhances the subtle sweetness on the palate. Recommended with a splash. A bitter and spicy profile forms the base of this whisky. It's somewhat static and uninspired, much like the 2017 NY Mets. However, it does begin to feel less "constrained" over time. Glenmorangie whiskies have never particularly appealed to me. I've generally found them average with occasional glimpses of something good, but nothing truly memorable. [84/100][Tasted: 4/21/17]