Quinta Ruban hails from Glenmorangie’s Core Range, which also includes The Original, The Lasanta, and Nectar, D’or. Back a few years ago, the distillery produced a 12 Year Old expression, but that’s gone away so that NAS can reign supreme. It’s worth pointing out that an 18 Year Old Glenmorangie is still produced, but that one hails from the Prestige line of single malt Scotch whiskies, which are, well, more expensive, as well as more “prestigious.”
Quinta Ruban whisky is aged for ten years in American white oak casks before being transfered into Port pipes. Now, it’s worth pointing out that a pipe is the equivalent about about one hundred and thirty US gallons. It’s fairly large when it comes to cask sizes, and this translates into the fact that the resulting whisky should (theoretically) avoid becoming too sweet, as it would be in a smaller cask that had formerly housed a rich, sweet fortified wine such as Port.
Name Origins
I was curious about the origin of the name “Quinta Ruban,” and so I did a little sleuthing online. It seems that “Quinta” is a name in Portugal for the place where grapes are grown, especially grapes for Port wine. “Ruban,” on the other hand, is Gaelic for “ruby.” When you put the two together, you get a marriage between ancient and modern, as well as Scotland and Portugal. The “ruby,” of course, is all about this whisky’s lush deep red color, which comes from being aged for a couple of years in Port pipes.
I tend to like the name Quinta Ruban more since I discovered that Ruban is a Gaelic word . . . even though it was, in all likelihood, borrowed from Hebrew. Just because a word is ancient, doesn’t mean it originated from the people who once used it. After another thousand years pass, today’s American English will be ancient, as well, and yet it’s worth noting that roughly thirty percent has been borrowed from Latin, thirty percent from French, six percent from Greek, and about another ten percent from a ton of other languages–aside from Old English, which was a Germanic tongue.
Yes, that’s right: believe it or not, English has far more in common, historically, with Gaelic than it has with Latin, since both English and Gaelic are Germanic in origin. It’s amazing how many people these days think that English comes from Latin. No sir, it don’t . . . or may name is Odds Bodkins III.
Tasting Notes: Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban
Vital Stats: 46% ABV / 92 proof; 750 ml; average price $56.
Nose: Fruity, to be sure. I’m getting a jammy type of impression at the outset, along with stewed plum, apricot, and peach. Hints of berry fruits emerge, as well. There’s a trace of cinnamon, clove, and buttery croissant.
Palate: Port sugars dominate with notes similar to the nose, except here in one’s mouth the fruit presence is fresher–more vibrant. Caramel, coffee bean, and marshmallow swirl into the mix. Powdered cocoa bewitches the tongue.
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Finish: A faint oakiness flirts with allspice. Think orange marmalade on melba toast. Water does not help. Even a few drops seem to cheapen the superabundance of fruit sugars, so that nose and palate become forced–even trite. Length-wise, the finish clocks in at medium.
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