Glenmorangie 18 Year Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Once again a reason to celebrate recently arose for me, and, as I so often do, I settled on a higher end bottle of Scotch that I normally wouldn't purchase absent good cause. In this instance, I went with the Glenmorangie 18 Year. I've loved past Glenmorangie bottlings, and I figured I couldn't really go wrong here.

In fact, I went very right! And I knew it was going to be good as soon as I opened the bottle.  I was hit with a great nose that reminded me of pipe tobacco and cloves. This was one of those bottles where I had to force myself to stop enjoying the smell so that I could pour my first glass.

At 86 proof, there is little to no alcohol burn to this Highland Scotch. The flavor reminded me of one of my favorite sandwiches growing up -- peanut butter and honey. It was complemented by a distinct orange flavor that blended very well with the others, giving this whisky both an earthy and fruity profile, and yet neither was too much in the extreme.

This whisky is very smooth and soft, coating the mouth and lingering long after each swallow. It had a prominent butterscotch flavor on the back end that allowed me to enjoy each sip long after I swallowed.

As I sipped more and more, and as I let the bottle rest a bit (though not for long and I couldn't help but go right back to it), additional wonderful flavors of brown sugar and pear came through, with the orange notes ever increasing in strength.

This is a phenomenal whiskey, one which truly made me sad as I watched that last drop hang on for dear life before finally relenting and falling into my glass to met its fate. Truly a bittersweet ending to a great bottle of whiskey. Glenmorangie is doing a lot of things right these days, and their 18 year old is no exception!

Grade: A