Glenmoranie has quite a lot of expressions of varying ages and rarities, and I’ve not really reviewed any of them here before now. I don’t know why not, I’ve enjoyed a good Glenmo for many a year now. So let’s take a little look at four expressions that I think it’s safe to call part of Glenmo’s core range, the 10yo The Original, 12yo The Lasanta, 12yo The Quinta Ruban and 12yo The Nectar D’or. All easily available, affordable whiskies.

So without further ado let’s kick off…

The Original – 10yo – 40% abv

Nose: Gentle, slightly woody, fruity & malty. Light, open & enjoyable.
Palate: Medium oils, light & easy feel, malty, fruity, creamy, caramelly.
Finish: Sweet, malty, pinch of wood and spice, and medium in length.
Thoughts: As an entry malt I always think this is a great classic; it’s light, enjoyable and really approachable; very drinkable indeed.
Available: Master of Malt – £30.83

The Lasanta – 12yo – 46% abv

Info: Oloroso sherry cask finished.
Nose: Sweet, rich and creamy with thick winter fruits.
Palate: Nice and thick, sweet with a raisin backing.
Finish: Thick, sweet and long, yummy. Hint of smoke.
Thoughts: The extra two years and extra ABV (therefore we assume it’s not chill filtered) really helps to make this a luscious and enjoyable dram; good winter fruity depth with a good pinch of peppery spice.
Available: The Whisky Exchange – £39.45

The Quinta Ruban – 12yo – 46% abv

Info: Port cask finished.
Nose: Quite light after the Lasanta, a pleasant surprise, opens up with time. Red berry compote and candyfloss.
Palate: Thick and creamy, balanced, sweet, gentle fruit.
Finish: A spiced, medium to long fairly light finish.
Thoughts: Sweet, fruity, light and spicy, it all comes together to make a fun dram with weight and depth.
Extra: On returning to this dram I really enjoy it, there’s a slight cask char smokiness to it.
Available: The Whisky Exchange – £40.95

The Nectar D’or – 12yo – 46% abv

Info: Sauternes wine cask finished.
Nose: Elegant, nutty, malty and sweet.
Palate: Thick and oily, soft fruits and some sweetness.
Finish: Light, elegant but fairly long with a puff of smoke on the finish. Gentle warming spices.
Thoughts: An interesting malt, it kind of feels older than it is, the sweetness isn’t quite as obvious as the sherry or the port, but that actually works really well. There’s a nearly chocolatey thing going on. I’m not usually a big wine finish fan, but this is great.
Available: The Whisky Exchange – £48.35

Overall Thoughts: The Original is always a great dram for drinking at any time in the day. As mentioned above, I’m not always a big wine finish fan, but the Nectar D’or won me over with it’s sophisticated, elegant nature… as it often the case I seem to have picked the most expensive, hey ho.

Extra Thoughts: It’s great to see core products with age statements and (in the case of three of these) an abv that marks them into the non chill filtration territory. Let’s hope that these stay on the market for some time to come as non age statement is all the rage of late.

From my own stocks… You can buy the four in a tasting pack called The Pioneering Collection, a set of 4 x 10cl bottles, that’s just what I did (well, I won them from my mate Tom of Tom’s Whisky Reviews).