Glenmorangie Astar (Gaelic for “journey”) was first released back in 2008. Casks from oak growing in Missouri Ozark mountains which are slow growing variant were used to mature this whisky. Such casks aren’t very common (and some would say they are scarce), couple that with the fact that Dr. Lumsden isn’t too much in favor of cask strength releases, and you can understand why it took lots of public demand and additional 9 years to get together another edition.

The 2017 Astar was bottled at 52.5% (far below the 57.1% strength of the 2008 edition), isn’t chill filtered and comes with natural color.

Glenmorangie Astar 2017 (52.5%, £62/€59,95)

Nose: Classic Glenmorangie notes, honey, butterscotch, soft nuttiness, orange and lemon peels perfume, a minerals and chalky, buttery almonds croissant and a dash of white pepper and mint freshness. Very rich and sweet.

Palate: Sweet honey, vanilla, pears and apricots, some minerality due to the high ABV), soft nuttiness, butter, citrus, oak spices and mint at the end.

Finish: Medium length, lingering sweet honeyed nuts and almonds, gentle oak spices.

Thoughts: A real nice sipper, A bit spicy and dry but other than that it’s a classic Glenmorangie. Rare cask strength offering at such a low price made me grab a bottle.