Anyone notice that Glenmorangie just destroyed one of their best tasting products? They used to sell a delightful 12 year old scotch simply named “Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish.” The whisky spent ten years in an American white oak barrel, and was then moved to a previously used Spanish port pipe. It was rich and tender with a fruity aged wine backnote. It really was a very well made product.
Well, no longer. The entire line of Glenmorangie whiskies have been relaunched in new packaging, and released under different names. “Port Wood” becomes “Quinta Ruban” after the port barrels the spirit is finished in. The style of the spirit has drastically changed. What was previously sweet and subtle is now brash, cheap, and bitter. I’ve only tasted the Quinta Ruban bottling, but I don’t have much hope for the rest of the line.
For those of you who aren’t aware I’ll fill you in. Things like bottling at minimum whisky proof and finishing in a wine barrel… Those are all things done to improve a poor spirit. In a spirit like this bottling at higher than 80 proof just seems to bring the nastier notes to the forefront. This could be a fantastic whisky, but not until it has had at least another decade in a barrel to round out all these tough and tasteless edges.
Moët Hennessy has destroyed one of my favorite products. When I was bartending it was easily one of my best sellers, and it sold best to well-heeled gentlemen in the 60+ age bracket. Alienating your ideal customers in the name of progress is never a good idea.
Suspicions confirmed via a Scotsman.com story by Rose Murray Brown.
Update! December 7th, 2007
I got a chance to taste the new sherry finish bottling tonight. The Lasanta was better than the Quinta Ruban, but not nearly as good as it had been in the previous iteration. The same complaints apply: Bitterness, a lack of depth, and muddled layers of flavor. To my tounge it seems that I’m seeing something that I can’t quite name. If I had to guess it would be that there’s a large percentage of new white oak in the barrel mix. Sadly, I just don’t think that this is a spirit that shows well in bottling at 46% without chillfiltration.
December 6th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
[...] Read Johnnys full post here [...]
December 9th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Thanks for the heads-up. I went out and found a local place that still had some of the old port wood bottling and bought a few to keep in reserve. This was my favorite scotch and it will be a shame when these bottles run out.
December 11th, 2007 at 8:49 am
I have to disagree! Where have you all left your tastebuds??! The new range is a drastic improvement over the old. The very fact that the new bottlings are now Non-Chill Filtered give a vastly improved mouthfeel. Rich and chewy with a long satisfying finish. The Quinta Ruban has all that the old Port Wood Finish had, and more. A delicious, moutnwatering fruity front with a long lingering and dry finish.. like coco powder or dark chocolate.
I strongly recommend re sampling the new range. And heh..if you really dont like them thats fine… there will be more for me
December 19th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Sottish is wrong of the new product, it doesn’t satand up !
As an aside I once received a leather boxed, sterling silver flask from Genmorangie in appreciation of my promotion of their product in sdan Francisco! Keep in mind that I am not in the hospitality industry, but am only a bar patron .
I tasted the new Quinta Ruban today against a standard Port Wood. The new product is much harsher and obviously very young. As we all know , the true Port Wood varied in color and port intensity batch to batch, However, if this first bottling is any indication, they have cheapened the product, renamed it and raised the price ! I’ll have to go to the 21 year old Balvanie port wood , I guess
December 29th, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Just been bought a bottle of Glen Morangie and the first thing I noticed was the package (box). It was not the distinctive ‘tube’ but a box with the Quinta Ruban mark on it (not looked apon until visiting this site). It has always tasted like honey but, this one was OK but not quite to the original standard. Talkisker whiskey is similar whiskey but has always been kept in ex-port casks. Great colour, flavpur and taste.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Nic. You are wrong on all counts. Quinta Ruban is Non Chill Filtered and therefore closer to a traditional single malt before the days of “mass produced” filtered, caramel colored single malts that are the norm in the USA these days. Maybe thats what your tastebuds are used to. As for your comment on the age of the Quinta Ruban: turn the bottle round and read the back label. Clearly (if in small print) stated the age: 12 YEARS OLD.. just like the old Port Finish. Also.. Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2008 rates the new Quinta Ruban 5 points higher than the old Port Finish…
April 7th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Goddard: Talisker like Glenmorangie? Talisker aged in Port Casks? I am trying to remain polite but both these statesments are SO far from the truth it makes me wonder if youd drunk a whole bottle before you wrote your blog. Talisker is smokey and from the Isle of Skye. Glenmorangie (not Glen Morangie) si from the North Eastern Highlands (about as far from Skye as you can get whilst still staying in Scotland). Talisker is a heavily peated malt and Glenmorangie uses virtually NO peat in its malting process. There flavor characteristics are at almost opposite ends of the scotch whisky spectrum.
April 7th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Tony: Do me a favor. Dont trust mine or anyone elses view on this blog. Trust your tastebuds. Give the new Quinta Ruban a try. Give it a chance. Glenmorangie have always pushed the boundries of Single Malt production and making their new range non chill filtered is a bold move that should be applauded. So: you, a glass of Quinta, a dash of water and a nice quite room to just sit and enjoy….
April 18th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
I just purchased bottle of each, did a side by side comparison, and there is a noticeable difference. While the Quinta Ruban retains many of the same qualities I love in the old Port Finished, it definitely has more of a bite to it. I don’t know if I’d call it “cheap” but would definitely say it has a more bitter almond flavor than the old. I would agree that it is more harsh. It certainly lacks the subtle charm and smooth finish of the original. I do prefer the nose of the new and the color is a richer masculine amber compared to the rose of original which some have argued give it a more feminine/wine like appearance. In sum, though the Quinta is not a terrible Scotch, I much prefer the old.