Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or (46%, OB, 2nd Edition, Sauternes Finish, 2011)

• 46% ABV, £35-£40 for 70cl
• Score: 82/100

What they say:

Great to see French casks that actually complement a whisky – so rare! An exercise in outrageously good sweet-dry balancing” – Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2010

It is here, in hand selected wine barriques from Sauternes: the most famous and ancient sweet wine growing region of France, that this whisky develops its rich, spicy and dessert-like flavours. Non chill-filtered for additional aroma and mouthfeel.

Aroma: Lime and orange rind, sultanas and dates give a rich fruity flavour laced with tantalising spices of coconut and nutmeg.

Taste: Ginger, nutmeg and toasted almonds bring a deep, warming taste interwoven with a syrupy lemon meringue and honeycomb middle.

Finish: Long and lusciously sweet finish with lemon zest, white chocolate, vanilla and traces of ginger and nutmeg.

Colour: Honeyed gold

What I say:

The second dram from the Glenmorangie Pioneering collection was the Nectar D’Or, essentially 10 Years Old finished in French Sauternes Dessert Wine Barriques.

Colour:

Peachy gold

Nose:

Lemon citrus, limoncello, sour followed by honey sweet, lemon sauce (like Cantonese lemon chicken), leafy and honey

Taste:

Less silky than the Glenmorangie 10 Year old this has more of a watery then syrupy texture in the mouth, full of lemon-puff biscuits, lemon cream and cereal barley, tarte aux poires avec crème anglais (pear tart and vanilla custard – sounds much tastier in French)

Finish:

Drying and sweet, a little astringency, and a lemony citrus that is ascerbic almost to the point of acetic at the end

Would I buy it again:

I’m not sure, there are plenty of nice elements in this but overall too sweet and sour for my tastes. Unusual as I usually surprise myself with how much I warm to Sauternes finished whiskies. I’d rather save my money and opt for the Glenmorangie 10 Years Old over the Nectar D’Or.orangie nectar d’or