Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX
A Bowl of Bread Pudding!
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Review by @jwise
- Nose~
- Taste~
- Finish~
- Balance~
- Overall90
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Distribution of ratings for this:
- Brand: Glenmorangie
- Type: Scotch
- Region: Highland
- ABV: 46%
I am very excited about this whisky. I have really enjoyed the Glenmorangie whiskies I have tasted so far: 12yr Port Wood Finish, La Santa, Quinta Ruban, 18yr, etc.... Even the 10yr was ok. However, the Sonnalta PX is a very special whisky to me. It is matured for 10 years in American white oak casks, before transitioning for two more years into Spanish ex-Pedro Ximenez (PX) casks. These casks are referred to by the distiller as the "king of sherry casks". Among others, the whisky gets some very impressive remarks: Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2010 "It is, unquestionably, the perfect whisky finish" (96.5 / 100).
But that's enough about what others say. Let's get on with the review!
The Glenmorangie Sonnalta PX is a 12yr whisky, bottled at 46% ABV.
Nose: Wonderful sherry right up front! Wow. Wonderful apples, pears, honey, apricot, and a little nose tingle! It smells like a delicious bowl of bread pudding with a whisky reduction sauce and juicy sultanas! I am getting hungry nosing this whisky! Wow...
Body: Plenty of firmness to provide a perfect mouth feel.
Palate: Spice up front, with honey and marmalade. Maybe just a touch of dark chocolate.
Finish: Slight dryness with a magnificently long apricot finish! Spice rolling through my mouth.
Delicious! I am really enjoying this whisky. I am not a big fan of dryness in my whisky, but this is a very slight flaw, as it just comes in on the front of the finish, and fades quickly. The nose is probably the best part of this whisky, but the palate and finish also has a lot to offer.
I am not sure how much this whisky costs, but I will have to find out. It is very tasty, and I would enjoy having a bottle of it in my cabinet. However, I am afraid it will be priced a bit higher than it is worth. It is basically a sherried whisky with spice. I can think of three excellent whiskies that share this same basic profile: Aberlour 16yr, Macallan 12yr, and Glenfarclas 10yr.
There is no smoke or caramel, so for my taste, I much prefer Glenfarclas 15yr. But, it's still a really good whisky!
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This is one of my top favorite malts. It may be pricey, depending on location. Around here the better priced outlets sold out of this long ago, and only a very few more pricey shops are still likely to have a bottle of this around. I like this so much I hustled to get a second bottle before it disappeared. Didn't know the length of the sherry aging until you posted it. Thanks for that info. One problem with this whisky if you buy a bottle and decide to share: people tend to want to drink more of it than a small first dram!