Glenmorangie Spios Scotch Review
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
(Credit: LVMH)
Although ex-bourbon barrels dominate the cask stock for maturing whiskey around the world, whether it be in original ASB or hogshead format, one doesn’t hear much about old rye whiskey barrels. Once upon a time, that made a good deal of sense, as rye whiskey production was miniscule compared to bourbon. Yet several years ago, rye whiskey’s popularity exploded. Production has consequently expanded, while at the same time the demand for ex-bourbon barrels has increased dramatically.
Thus it was only a matter of time before someone in Scotland began reaching for ex-rye barrels and gave them a try, and now Glenmorangie Spios can give us an inkling of their potential. “Spios” means “spice” in Scots Gaelic, and this is ninth release in the Glenmorangie Private Edition series has been aged entirely in ex-rye whiskey barrels. When he started the project that became Spios six years ago, Bill Lumsden chose to use barrels used to age 95% Rye (presumably leftoever MGP barrels), rather than barrels used to age “Kentucky style” rye. The latter have a rye content in the lower to middle 50s, and are not all that far removed from Kentucky bourbon. The result was bottled at 46% ABV.
The Whiskey
From the glass, Glenmorangie Spios is golden yellow. A swish of the glass leaves behind plenty of great tears.
The scent is fresh and a bit peachy, with plenty of familiar cookie spices and peppermint. This is rounded out by notes of malty honey, toffee and a bit of quite mild, old, dried chili peppers. That led to a thick, chewy, velvety palate, opening with a sweet, creamy vanilla and stone fruit flavor that transitions in due course to something woodier and spied with cookie spices, sweet herbs and cloves. The finish runs with tart berries and spicy pepper.
Glenmorangie Spios has put a very enjoyable twist on the distilleries traditional flavor profile, and in doing so has pulled a lot of character out of what is (don’t forget this part) a youngish release of their spirit. It’s rich, quite flavorful, and shows a surprising degree of sophistication for a six year old malt. The first-fill, 95% rye barrel aging has definitely done worthwhile things for this whisky.
Furthermore, if this is what first-fill rye barrel aging (and high-rye rye at that) can do for single malt, I look forward to seeing more examples of its use in the future.
The Price
Expect to pay $100 in the U.S. for this item. In Europe, the pricing is slightly better at around €70.
