The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
Scotch

Whisky Review: Glenmorangie Spìos

We review Glenmorangie Spìos, a single malt from Highland distillery Glenmorangie finished in American rye casks.

OVERALL RATING

9
$99.00
Like Conversation

Tasting Notes

About:

Single Malt Scotch whisky fully matured in first-fill American ex-rye casks from Kentucky for an unspecified amount of time. Non-chill filtered at bottled at 46% ABV. Suggested retail price of about $99 per bottle.
Appearance:
Bright gold, lighter than average but not by too much.
Nose:
The first whiff carries a sweet vanilla scent into the nasal passages, given a bit of tartness from a mild pineapple and orange character. That then takes an earthier and spicier tone as the overall bouquet develops notes of hay, clove, raisins, and oak with a touch of sandalwood.
Palate:
Entry onto the tongue first tastes like a creamy vanilla, a bit of an earthy, hay-like flavor but still rich and sweet. However, Spios quickly takes on a spicy character, dominated primarily by clove, pepper, and nutmeg with a touch of coffee. The intensity of the spiciness builds as it stays in the mouth, but never to an overwhelming degree. Swallowing unleashes a quick burst of those spices in the back of the mouth before reverting back to the creamy, rich vanilla from the outset – this time with a bit more of a toffee flavor – with a consistent but gentle tingle of spice in the corners of the mouth as the flavors slowly fade.
Finish:
Comments:
With Spìos, Glenmorangie accomplished exactly what it set out to do. While still retaining the sweet, delicate complexity that Glenmorangie does so well, the rye casks added a bit of the clove and pepper spice found in a good rye. While it lacks the rough-and-tumble harshness rye can often have, it goes about as far as you could expect from a more restrained spirit like what Glenmorangie tends to produce. I’d highly recommend Spìos as a once-in-a-while splurge if you see it at your liquor store.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Aaron Knapp

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

The whiskey wash logo