Glenmorangie The Original becomes Glenmorangie 12 Year Old

Big news from Glenmorangie: Glenmorangie The Original 10 Year Old is being replaced by Glenmorangie The Original 12 Year Old.

Out with the old, in with the older

The Highland single malt Scotch whisky has reimagined its flagship Glenmorangie Original by raising the minimum age of the whisky to at least 12 years old. We’re told “The Original 12 Years Old catapults this single malt’s much-loved notes of orange, honey, vanilla and peach to a new pinnacle of flavour” and that it’s already won a gold medal at the World Whiskies Awards 2024.

It’s a huge step. There’s been a 10-year-old age statement in the distillery’s portfolio for decades (we’ve sold bottles from the 1960s, here’s an example from the 90s) and typically these days we see concerns over stock and cost leading to the removal of age statements or the reduction of the lowest age in the whisky. But not Glenmorangie. The distillery has precedence for doing this, previously bumping the Port cask-finished Quinta Ruban from 12 to 14 years and establishing the previously NAS Nectar d’Or as a 16-year-old single malt.

Of course, nobody does anything for free. Glenmo is increasing the age because it suits the distillery to do so. These increases could be part of a strategy to elevate the perception of the brand to a greater prestige or as a means to get ahead of possible stock surplus with demand slowing on Scotch (as Susannah Skiver Barton posits in a recent New Wine Review article). There is a price difference, of course, at the time of writing the 10 is £31.99 and the 12 is £39.95 (at least at Master of Malt), which is punchy but not outrageous and still below many 12-year-old core expressions these days.

The story of Glenmorangie The Original 12 Year Old

We’re told that the Whisky Creation Team felt it could do more with its signature bottling. A series of experiments followed from its tasting panel and the finding was that the whisky “gains extra silkiness, sweetness and complexity when aged for 12 years instead of 10”. This month, the results of those developments have been launched in a new bottling, which retains the same basic aesthetic of the 10-year-old.    

“In 1984 when I was studying in Edinburgh for my PhD, I tasted single malt Scotch whisky for the very first time. That whisky was Glenmorangie. I’ll never forget my first magical sip and how I became beguiled by its complex range of flavours. During my many years at Glenmorangie, I have always aimed to keep the whisky true to my memory of that first taste,” recalls Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation. 

“However, recently my team and I started to wonder whether we could reimagine our flagship expression, The Original, for even more deliciousness. The result is The Original 12 Years Old! Smoother, creamier and even more complex, I like to think it “turns up the volume” on our signature whisky’s classic notes of orange, vanilla, peach and honey.”

For my money, I think it’s quite lovely in that agreeable manner Glenmorangie has. The flavours are graceful and well-balanced, while also being quite recognisable. The orangey is ’morangie for sure, as Dr Bill might say, in a way that somehow makes sense to me. If you like the 10, you’ll like this, maybe even a little bit more, the idea of “turning up the volume” rings true. Older doesn’t equal better, however, and the 10 was a very fine whisky. But, fundamentally, so is this. I’d need a few side-by-side tastings before I’d feel comfortable calling it an upgrade. Invaluable research I shall endeavour to undertake, for your benefit, of course, dear reader…

Glenmorangie The Original 12 Year Old is bottled at 40% ABV and is now available from Master of Malt. 

Nose: The nose is inviting and very orange – Jaffa Cakes and marmalade – initially. It retains this note throughout, every time you nose it again there’s more heaps of marmalade, spread on a buttery croissant for good measure. But stone fruits emerge too, think tinned peaches and nectarines, as well as banana bread, caramel shortbread, Brazil nuts, oak char, and a flowery perfumed quality.

Palate: The palate is soft and a little chalky, but also thick and tongue-coating in texture. There’s more orange and vanilla at its core, then comes apricot, dark chocolate, floral honeysuckle, lemon drop, pepper, and a warm, cosy flavour I get when I occasionally indulge in a pastry from a pâtisserie. Check me out.

Finish: The finish is crisp and almost a little tart with tropical fruit sweetness, green apple, chalky minerality, and honey.

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