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Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban

I have finally tried it!

Glenmorangie finished, ahem, I mean 'extra-matured' in port casks. Now bottled unchillfiltered at 46% Of the new releases which debuted at Whisky Fringe, this was the most popular and won quite a few votes in the Spirit of the Fringe competition. The most heavily finished of the new bottlings.

Color: Medium brown, kind of like a caramel color but maybe a little bit more bronze. The legs coated the glass nicely, not super thick but not thinly in the middle, they we're there for a little bit.

Nose: Semisweet but not too sweet. I fell in love from the first whiff. The nose opened up a little after a few minutes and it seemed a little bit more in your face but still not overbearing.

Taste: It was a nice balance of sweetness and nirvana with a little bit of that whack behind the head that makes it Scotch and not wine in my opinion. From the reviews I read I wasn't so sure I was going to like this Scotch but I think I have found my replacement to the Old Port Wood Finish. it is different because it is unchill filtered but it is so smooth and nice and the taste buds it has been one of the easiest Scotch's I have had in a long time.

Finish: The finish was very smooth and subtle so you haven't forgotten what you just drank and it didn't overpower the rest of the dram.

Comments: I have found my replacement to the Old Port Wood Finish, it's amazing.

Nice description, I saw the Quinta Ruban at the liquor store last week and I considered it. I'm not familiar with any of the highlands and I'm relatively new to Scotch drinking. However, I started strong with the Islays and love the strong peaty, smoky, spicy character that most have. Ardbeg 10, Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist 1990, Lagavulin 16 and Laphroaig 15 are my favorites of the Islays. I also really enjoy Talisker 10 and as the description goes, it drinks like hot lava, but I love it. Of the non-Islays I've tried, I did not enjoy Aberlour 12 because of the too-sweet sherry finish. Highland Park 12 was Ok, somewhat peaty and smoky but a little too weak for my liking.

In any case, I've wanted to give a highland like Glenmorangie a try, just not sure what to try and if any will work for my palette. So far I can say I don't like sweet and I like spice, heat, smoke and a lot of kick. I also do not get the flavors/noses of strong iodine and phenol that most describe when it comes to the Islays. Anyone who describes an Islay as such cannot possibly enjoy one unless one enjoys a medicinal taste.

Opened a bottle of this tonight and while I like it, the flavor is somewhat shallow compared to something like Lagavulin.