Dr. Scotchtagon Presents: Mailbag/Glenmorangie Nectar D'or

by Dr. Octagon, J.D.

I’ve been getting more Scotch-related questions than “human cockfighting”-related questions lately (That’s a John McCain quote right there. I’d like to say that was the reason I didn’t vote for him, but the real reason was Sarah Palin). Thanks to everyone that wrote in.  I’ll try to get to your questions as fast as I can.  So one of our most loyal readers readers wrote in with the following question:

Can you please recommend me a Scotch whisky that does not have the smoke/chemical taste profile?

The Balvenie fifteen-year single barrel that I reviewed a while back was great and not too smokey.

The whisky I’m reviewing tonight also fits the bill.  It’s made by Glenmorangie and called Nectar D'Or.

I suppose I’ve been reviewing a lot of smokey whiskeys lately. I really dig the smoke flavors. My house guests tend to drink less of them, which is a definite advantage. A word to the wise, if you throw a party and have a wide selection of Scotch, everyone will go for the most expensive Johnnie Walker available. Personally, I keep a bottle of Gold Label in my freezer that is filled with Red Label. Anyone who guzzles your Gold Label is a rat bastard and deserves it and no one’s going to taste the difference if you keep it in your freezer. (Editor’s note: This is hilarious enough to overlook the poor form)[[MORE]]

Anyway, on to the whisky. While I think I have disclaimed my columns enough in the past, I would be remiss not to mention that I have purchased a large amount of LVMH shares (not really a large amount), and the whisky I am about to review is made by Glenmorangie, which is owned by LVMH. If you will remember, previously in this space I reviewed Ardbeg, which is also owned by LVMH.

You may think I’m a total shill, but I bought the stock because I like the products. If Bernard Arnault owns something you can pretty much assume that it is going to be awesome. He just bought Arnys, which is pretty much the freshest gear a gentleman can buy. This is important information, as you will see later on. Anyway, I have made my disclaimer and so I shall move on to the review.

Glenmorangie owns Ardbeg, which as mentioned, I reviewed last week. The brah who made this fine whisky is named Dr. Bill Lumsden and he is well-regarded among the whisky cognoscenti. (BTW, the word brah was invented by Paul McCartney in the song “Ob-La-Di , Ob-La-Da,” for which I am eternally grateful.) If you are at a cocktail party and chatting with another man who likes whisky, you should say something like “I’m totally down with Dr. Bill Lumsden, brah.” You’ll get mad respect.

This whisky is part of Glenmorangie’s Extra Matured range. The house style for Glenmorangie is smoke-free and heavy on American Oak. This American Oak or quercus alba, as pretentious whisky nerds might refer to it, is what they make bourbon casks out of. They use the casks after the bourbon distilleries discard them, because according to law bourbon makers are required to use fresh barrels. The barrels are typically burnt before making bourbon, which adds to the flavor.

The whisky distilleries then buy the used casks from the bourbon distilleries. This is the same type of oak that creates the oaky fruitbombs that the wine critic Robert Parker enjoys so much. The flavor is mainly vanilla, but the standard 12-year Glenmorangie also has some coconut flavor to it. It’s really good if you want something without smoke and it’s a great value.

The Nectar D'or is a lot like the standard 12-year, but for the last year or two, they finish it Sauternes casks. When you hear people talk about a fancy finish Scotch, this is what they’re talking about. Scotch is often finished in a sherry cask, which is a sweet red wine. This one is finished in sweet white wine. Sauternes is a white French dessert wine made with grapes that are infested with noble rot, Botrytis cinerea, a grey fungus that affects the flavor of the wine favorably. Guess who owns one of the best Sauternes?Bernard Arnault. I told you that I was coming back to him. He owns Chateau d'Yquem, which is a really expensive Sauternes.

After they age the whisky primarily in the vanilla-flavored American oak casks, they finish it for the last year or two in Sauternes casks, which have been soaked in sweet white wine. I don’t know a lot about wine, but if I had guess the type of oak, I would wager it is Q.sessiflora (French oak), which is what Chateau d'Yquem is made in. Glenmorangie released a ridiculous bottle previously called Glenmorangie Pride, which was aged 18 years in bourbon casks and 10 years in Chateau d'Yquem casks. It cost about $4,000 a bottle, which is what my car is worth, so I’m not getting involved with it any time soon unless our esteemed editor raises my stipend.

I’m paid in Scotch, but the boss keeps all the loot from his fancy NPR appearances to himself, so I have to drink the mid-market stuff. In this case, the type of Sauternes is not specified, and the whisky is aged for a much shorter time in both casks, so you can think of this as sort of a minor-league Glenmorangie Pride.

Nectar D'or tastes like vanilla, cereal, and some sort of yellow fruit, either grapefruit or lemon. It’s really sweet. I’ve seen people describe it as lemon custard, which isn’t far off. I’ve already put a decent-sized dent in the bottle and am really loving it. Too drinkable, really. I’m sloshed brah. If there were a fight tonight, I’d be spending the night sleeping on the bathroom floor. Glenmorangie uses really tall stills, so this stuff gets a lot of copper contact and is smooth as Ben Henderson. Really great whisky. Highly recommended for those of you who don’t care for smoke.

I’ll give it a 155 out of 158.3.