Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14 year old (46%)

Glenmorangie might not have pioneered cask finishes in Scotland, but it most certainly was the first distillery to popularize them. I recall when the Quinta Ruban first arrived at the LCBO in Ontario – although back then it was just Glenmorangie Port Wood Finish – alongside its sherry cask and Madeira cask finished portfolio mates. While I’m a bit hazy as to the exact year of its arrival, I expect it was not long after the brand’s creation in the mid-1990s, and I do not believe that at the time it carried with it an age statement.

The name change came over a decade later, so far as I can tell, and in 2019, according to Whisky Advocate magazine, the whisky was bestowed its 14 year age statement. While the distillery doesn’t say how that 14 years is divided between bourbon cask and port wood finishing, Whisky Advocate suggests that it is a dozen years of the former and two of the latter.  

A lovely gold in colour with just the faintest blush of pink, the Quinta Ruban is not at all shy about aromatically announcing its time in port pipes, though, with rich plum and red grape notes immediately evident, accompanied by some brown spice and followed by the creamy notes of sweet orange and more muted peach, signalling the distillery’s signature style. A touch of vanilla accompanied by a whisper of nutty oak completes the aromatic profile.

The palate entry echoes the initial impression of the aroma, with sweet plum and golden raisin notes tickling the tongue alongside a touch of milk chocolate and vanilla. On the mid-palate, the fruit grows drier as the vanilla fades, highlighting more of what makes a Glenmorangie expression distinct, with the fruitiness balanced between orange and plum, stewed peach and chocolaty raisins. On the finish, oak and grape shine brightly, with lingering notes of vintage port, dry vanilla, and a touch of peppery alcohol.   

I bought a fair bit of this back in the 1990s, and thoroughly enjoyed every drop. And I’m delighted to say that it is every bit as good today – if fact, a bit better, even – as I remember it being back then, even if somewhat pricier.

91 ($105)