Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12 Year

Tonight's review is of a 2017 bottling of Glenmorangie's Quinta Ruban 12 Yr single malt. Distiller: Glenmorangie Mash Bill: 100% Malted Barley Oak Type: 10 years in ex-bourbon casks, then 2 years in ruby port casks Age: 12 years Price Paid: $27 Background: This bottle came as part of a trio that included the Glenmorangie 10 and Lasanta that I reviewed previously. I had read a lot of praise about this bottle at the time and I definitely enjoy it more than the original Glenmo 10, but not enough to justify getting a bottle at full price. I would be curious to see what the new 14 year version is like though if anyone wants to share. 🥃 Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban - 46% ABV Nose: Started with bright red fruit and citrus. Some caramel and nougat. Opens up after a while with wafts of port: prunes, rich stewed fruits, oak, and some perfumey notes. Palate: Stewed dark fruit with a touch of orange, but not as intense as one would hope. Though, compared to most 12 yr malts, it's very flavorful. Notes of cherries, dates, cough medicine, oak, and some spices. It's much nicer than the Glenmo 10 but the Glenmo flavor is apparent. The texture is decent, but I would hope for more from this decadent style. The finish fades from the boozy cherry and red fruits to tannins and a little citrus. Overall, it's an interesting and enjoyable dram. I am curious to try other Port finished drams and see how they compare. It's quite flavorful for a 12 yr offering, but I could see it being somewhat polarizing. I'm curious how the new 14 yr version is different. Thanks for reading. Cheers! Rating Range: 79 - 84/100

NOSE: Dried dark fruit, caramel, copper, vanilla taffy, honey nut cereal, cocoa, a hint of chalk, baked goods, and floral notes. It presents a warm, darkly sweet, and rich velvety aroma. PALATE: Sticky dried dark fruit, caramel, oak, roasted malt, cocoa, copper, dried orchard fruit, nuts, and a little citrus peel and baking spice. It's soft and fresh with a dark fruity and candy sweetness that moves through, sometimes combining into flavors that evoke malted milk balls. FINISH: Medium-long, with dried dark fruit, citrus peels, copper, and baking spice fading into oak.

I recently sampled the 14-year Quinta Ruban and found it too bitter for my preference. However, I had heard the 12-year Quinta Ruban was superior, so I decided to try it when I came across a bottle sitting on a shelf in a local store. It turns out I enjoy the 12-year Quinta Ruban considerably more than the 14-year. The nose was sweet, reminiscent of dark chocolate or salted caramel. The palate, while not as sweet as the nose suggested, was certainly not bitter. This is a very enjoyable Scotch for sipping, but it's likely much harder to find now that it has been replaced by the 14-year Quinta Ruban.

Appearance: amber +1, high viscosity Nose: sweet (honey, vanilla, toffee) fruity (banana, sultanas, baked apples) barley malt, oak Palate: Medium sweet/spicy/oaky arrival, medium full, a bit rough around the edges, sweet (honey, vanilla, chocolate malt, caramel) fruity (bananas, baked apples/pears), dry oak Finish: medium finish, sweet/oaky/dry aftertaste Comments: apparently this was replaced by the 14 YO Quinta Ruban (green label) not sure why is still available in Monterrey Mexico but it was nice to try it, not complex but enjoyable

Nose: Strong wine undertones from Port cask finish. Hints of fruits and smaller undertones of vanilla Palate: Cherry and grape flavors with some cinnamon. Hints of a wine flavor with sweetness and woodiness Finish: Slight bitter finish with stronger oak textures and flavor Notes: Stronger wine smell and tastes are unpleasant for me. Cherry notes are complex and enjoyable though

On the second tasting, this one comes out ahead. The dryness of the port doesn't overpower the whisky. Much more complementary than the La Santa; we have in order: black cherry, Turkish delight, and then oak. The wine adds a sweetness that's better integrated with the base. Also, the flavors increase as they go, forming a pyramidal shape. A better fit for a king's burial.