Review | Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices

This whisky is the sixth in the annual Tales series from the Highland distillery of Glenmorangie. A Tale of Spices pulls inspiration from the vibrant spice markets of the world. The whisky is the brainchild of by Dr. Bill Lumsden, the Director of Whisky Creation at Glenmorangie, and Gillian Macdonald, Glenmorangie’s Master Blender. It follows the five previous editions – A Tale of Cake (2020), Winter (2021), The Forest (2022), Tokyo (2023) and Ice Cream (2024).

A Tale of Spices a quartet of cask maturation types not used by Glenmorangie before. This includes the first ever use of ex-Moroccan red wine casks made from French oak. The other casks featured are charred virgin American oak, shaved and toasted dechar/rechar ex-red wine and ex-Pedro Ximenez sherry.

Glenmorangie was founded in 1843 by William Matheson and is in the north Highland town of Tain. The distillery was originally named Morangie, becoming Glenmorangie in 1887. It is a large distillery with an annual production capacity of 7.1 million litres. The stills are the tallest in Scotland standing at over five metres (16.5 feet) – the same height as an adult male giraffe. It also uses the hardest water of any Scotch whisky distillery in production, which comes from the nearby Tarlogie Springs. The distillery and brand are owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey.

I have always loved the variety of colours and aromas found in spice markets around the globe. Some years ago, Gillian and I experimented with Moroccan red wine casks for the first time and became captivated by the fragrant, spiced notes they imparted to our whisky.  From there, we created an unusual cask recipe to create a mosaic of flavours.

Dr. Bill Lumsden.

The Glenmorangie A Tale of Spices is bottled at 46% ABV and limited edition. It is now available from www.glenmorangie.com, the distillery visitor centre in Tain and specialist whisky retailers in selected world markets. A bottle will cost £76/ US$102.

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Our Tasting Notes

The colour is deep coppery gold and the nose is sweet, woody and spicy. Fruity aromas of dried pineapple, raisin and sultana mingle with spicy oak, dessicated coconut and a hint of fresh pine. Then comes vanilla, sweet orange and a pinch of icing sugar. These are accentuated by a distinct floral aroma, reminiscent of rose petal. White pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, plus a hint of saffron add further depth.

On the palate this whisky is sweet then drying, woody and spicy. It has an initial chewy and viscous mouth feel, almost waxy, with early notes of creamy milk chocolate, golden syrup and orange marmalade. Then come the spices – think of cinnamon, nutmeg and gingerbread, while a hint of sumac adds citrussy kick. This is complex with further notes of raisin, sultana, orange zest, grilled peach, and dried grass or hay underneath.

Sitting in the background are some dried tropical fruits – imagine pineapple and papaya, which intensify towards the finish. A late elegant peppery warmth also evolves, as does the rose petal-like floral elements from the nose. Hints of black treacle and sugared almonds come through nicely too.

The finish is long and drying. The peppery warmth continues and the whisky becomes super woody. This is especially true once the sweeter and fruitier characteristics have started to fade. The oak tannins grip the insde of your cheeks and make you want to reach for another sip.

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What’s The Verdict?

A Tale of Spices is delicious. It is a complex and grown-up whisky that does a great job of balancing the sweet and spicy elements. This Glenmorangie series has produced some great whiskies since it launched in 2020 and seems to be a real fun experimenting ground for the brand. We cannot think of anyone else that has thought to use ex-Moroccan red wine casks and the result is delightful in combination with the three other cask types.

This sixth edition sits more on the savoury side of things with A Tale of The Forest and A Tale of Tokyo, rather than the other sweeter releases like A Tale of Cake and A Tale of Ice Cream. No doubt plans are already in place for the seventh edition to be released this time next year and we cannot wait to find out what it may be.