As they say: better late than never – I’ve finally found the time to write my notes on the latest expression in Glenmorangie Private Collection Series – The Glenmorangie Companta.

I won’t bother with all the details on this whisky, suffice to say it’s wine finished whisky and if you want more details, just head on to the excellent post by Billy Abbott on TWE blog here.

A friend of mine, Michael (of Malt and Oak blog) has kindly bestow me a sample from the bottle he purchased and I was very keen to try it and see how it stand up to Finealta (which I own) and to Ealanta, the very successful release from last year.

Glenmorangie Companta (46%, £89.95)

Nose: Starts with strong sweet red wine impact notes with bit cloying syrup sweetness. given some time those notes take a step back and we can also smell red oranges, hints of dryness, some dustiness and leatheriness, soaked raisins. pepper spiciness. spiciness grows over time and then some saltiness is also noticed. I think there’s too much wine impact here and not enough Glenmorangie character (or whisky at all).

Palate: Lots of red fruits – cherry and berries. Tannic dryness, sweet port, milk chocolate, subtle oak wood and pepper. again a bit of saltiness.

Finish: Medium length, oak wood with some dusty sweet berries.

Conclusion: Is it whisky? Really? For me the wine impact here is a bit over the top and too aggressive. The winey impact is strong and the flavours are overwhelming that if I had to taste it blind I think most chances I’d guess it to be some kind of port or strongly fortified wine – not too many notes here points on whisky here. Frankly, I prefer my Glenmorangie Finealta to it.