Finally I managed to sit down and write notes about this much spoken about and discussed dram. (This time not out laziness, but other reasons ) I won’t bore you with the details and PR blah blah, you can read that in one of my earlier posts (here) .
There was some debate about whether Companta really means “friendship” (like Cairdeas is supposed to mean, boy my Gaelic sucks), or something a bit different. This brings me to the great idea that Gaelic should be taught as a second language worldwide, this will make our lives easier with all those Gaelic names (especially for NAS whiskies). right?
OK. enough talk, let’s get to business.
Glenmorangie Companta , 46% , £69.99 (if you can find one).
Nose: Very sweet and wine-y. Think wine gums galore, lots of red fruit jam but not thick and dark rather more bright and lively. Underneath all those you can find a nice malty backbone which is almost hidden , but still there. Some damp oak and also very ripe oranges one moment before they become too much so.
Palate: Spicy and peppery on entry. Black pepper , nutmeg, clove and some cocoa powder. Then getting sweeter with Chocolate, vanilla , blood oranges and creamy vanilla with plum jam that adds sweetness and thickness. Grape peel maybe macerated cherries. And charred oak. Rather yummy.
Finish: Charred oak. Pepper. Milk Chocolate and red berry jam with some ripe oranges.
Bottom line:
This whisky is well made, quite easy to drink, and basically is delicious and with the right amount of complexity, body and oopmh. I can see why it’s been selling so well (sold out on most online shops). Very good stuff from Glenmorangie, and good PR (can’t argue with the results).
Well, I guess next year I’ll just have to pre-order. I didn’t believe it would be so hard to find considering Ealanta is still around. Perhaps there’s a few cases stashed away to sell at £100 later this year….
This is really a fine whisky, much better than the base finished Glenmorangies (LaSanta, etc). I wasn’t sure what to make of it when I first opened the bottle, but as the weeks went by it just kept getting better. So much so I went back and bought five more over the next month. Gave one to a friend for Christmas, but still have three and wish I could get more! An 88 in my book.