Oh yes, this thread reminds me I still owe you guys a review on the Glenmorangie 12YO Lastanta. Well, first, let me recap on the Dalwhinnie 15YO:
I've had some more time with this whisky. I took a few more, had my time with it and, while it's a good whisky for sure, to me, it's not worth the money. I decided this after my brother in law came to visit (Scotch noob), and his reaction of "it tastes very plain" made me realize that he's pretty much spot on. It's good, but it's generic. I can compare it to Coke. You can drink it every day, but there's nothing that makes it "stand out". I will find myself falling back to it though, but when the bottle is done I'll revert to my tried and trusted Glenfiddich 12YO or Glenlivet 12YO bottles. They're better, IMO, at a fraction of the price. Interestingly, I saw a video this week from Ralfy.com's Youtube channel, where he also said the same - Dalwhinnie 15YO used to be very good (it made it into the "Classic Malts" range), but he wouldn't recommend it anymore. I feel the same, unfortunately.
But back to business. The Glenmorangie 12 Year Old Lastanta.
Colour: While colour isn't always commented on, on this whisky I have to. Colour is a deep, golden caramel, much darker than your conventional single malts. It's evident that it was aged in sherry casks, and the pictures online don't do it justice. Colour is much darker, with a slight dark red tinge. It's absolutely adorable! This image here is the most accurate representation of the colour I can find - JUST LOOK AT IT!!!
Nose: The warmest smelling whisky I've had on nose to date. It is hard to describe how deep the "warmth" of this whisky is. You get red wine, grapes, raisins, caramel and sweets. Creamy on the finish in the nose - amazing!
Palate: Now this is where this whisky shines, let me tell you. Medium body, but sweet, warm sherry, sultana and caramel/sweets again. It urges you to take another - and another - and another. Inviting, smooth, and very well balanced.
Finish: Nuts, sultanas. Long, lingering finish that dissipates the sweet and lets the spices and slightly dark chocolate taste steep. The finish urges you to take smaller sips, and to swirl them properly.
With a touch of water the sweetness largely opens up, but with too much water or too much cooling (like adding too much ice), you lose A LOT of character in this whisky. It's supposed to be enjoyed at room temperature, this one. Plenty of whiskies I'm an advocate of dropping in a small cube of purified ice, and then letting it sit for ~10 minutes, but this, no. Just cool water, a little bit, is enough. Too much and the sweetness opens up into sugar, and you lose depth. Just enough and you get more of those classic sherry notes - sultanas, nuts, spice, similar as above but lingering slightly longer.
Overall: This is a winter whisky. Seriously. It warms you up, it reminds you of cold winter nights in front of a fire, and does the same. It's magnificent, and my new favourite whisky, easy. It really is hard to explain how good this whisky is, and perhaps it's just me, but man, I love how it's put together. I think there will always be a bottle of this in my house from here on out.
Final notes about it: Get a bottle. Seriously. It's magnificent. For the price, even if you don't like it, I'm 100% sure you will find someone who does. I like mine so much my whisky glass is actually hanging upside-down over the bottle, so much I'm enjoying it
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