Newcomers to the whisky scene should consider themselves lucky these days. If you’re into a diverse selection and variety of whisky styles on the shelf, then my fine friend, it’s a good time to be a whisky fan. Purists will always have their standard Kentucky Straights or simple Scottish barley malts, but producers like to expand on the firmly laid foundations and hopefully start something new (hopefully worth the money, please). 20 years ago, the farthest a Scottish distillery would go was aging their distillate in Spanish sherry dessert wine casks, but in 1995, Dr. Bill Lumsden of the Glenmorangie Company pioneered what was then called “wood finishing.” This celebrated effort attempted to expand a base understanding of extra maturation by taking their standard 10 year old and re –racking up to a year in port, maderia, burgundy and new expressions of sherry wine casks. This trend setting endeavor has now spread to the entire industry with nearly every Scottish distillery offering at least one product with extra finishing.

Glenmorangie LaSanta is today’s focus. The 10 year old “Original” base whisky, aged in American oak enjoys a further 2 years in Spanish sherry butts (500L) from Jerez, Spain. The majority of sherry aging occurs in oloroso casks, a medium dry variety from the palomino grape (comprising 90% of all sherry produced) along with a portion of finishing from Pedro Ximenez sherry casks, a premium variety. LaSanta ages in a percentage of both varieties and is bottled non-chill filtered at 46% ABV.

SWC Group Review

Nose- Welcoming notes of sugared raisins/dates and brown sugar. Hazelnut. Creamy, soft. Some oak with honey notes.

Taste- Sweet. Salted caramel. Develops into a dry, citrus feel. Medium body. Again, oak slight oaky feel.

Finish- Medium length. Whiff of smoke, vanilla with dark chocolate underneath. But overall a dry affair. Grapefruit.

SWC Group Rating-  81/100

Average Retail – $50.00

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Contact us at SpokaneWhiskey@gmail.com