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Glenmorangie Triple Cask Reserve Review

Curious what ex-rye casks can bring to a Scotch? Glenmorangie’s Triple Cask Reserve delivers added richness, a subtle rye edge, and impressive value at an accessible price.

OVERALL RATING

7
$32
  • Genevieve is a South African whisky enthusiast with a PhD in Philosophy and founder of Kenton on Whisky, a coastal tasting venture.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Glenmorangie is renowned for having the tallest stills in Scotland – if you hear any one thing about Glenmorangie, this is usually it.

Due to the height of their stills (the distillery claims their stills have necks that reach the same height as an adult male giraffe), Glenmorangie has adopted the giraffe a kind of unofficial mascot. In 2020, Glenmorangie even partnered with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation to raise awareness and protect these animals.

I’m not sure if you’ve seen the recent whisky and giraffe photoshoots, or the “giraffe gift tin” packaging for their (recently discontinued) 10-year-old Original? Fairly effective marketing, or perhaps something that just resonated with me as I happen to live in an area surrounded by a number of game reserves – when I drive past and catch glimpses of their giraffe, I now find myself thinking of Glenmorangie!

I’m a big fan of Glenmorangie – in fact, a couple of their expressions were some of my very first whisky loves – so I was pretty excited to snag this bottle of whisky. It was officially released in April last year.

While I’m sure it won’t be a concern for everyone, I’ll say it upfront: one of the things I like most about this whisky is its price. I found a bottle for $38. Most of the latest releases from Glenmorangie have been accompanied by a pretty hefty price tag, so it was refreshing to be able to get my hands on something of theirs that is more budget-friendly.

The second thing I was intrigued by is the use of ex-rye casks for aging. I have a soft spot for rye whisky in general, so I was really interested to see what effect this would have on this whisky. Ex-rye cask maturation in Scotch whisky is still relatively rare compared to more common cask types like ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and even wine casks.

Glenmorangie’s Triple Cask Reserve, as the name suggests, is a marriage of whisky that has been matured in three different types of cask: ex-bourbon, new charred American oak, and ex-rye casks.

This is also something that strikes me as a little different to most of the whiskies in Glenmorangie’s core range. Often their core range of whiskies are matured for 10 years in ex-bourbon casks before being finished for a few years in some other type of cask (their 12-year-old Lasanta which is finished in sherry casks, or their 14-year-old Quinta Ruban which is finished in port casks, for example). The Triple Cask Reserve breaks this pattern.

It is regarded as another entry-level expression for Glenmorangie, and officially bottled at an approachable 40% ABV.
Appearance:
Brassy gold
Nose:
Ripe plums and pears. Cherry liqueur chocolates. Golden syrup and coffee flavoured hard-boiled sweets. Some sweet cinnamon. Woody and earthy aromas lurk in the background alongside a lingering note of cocoa.

The empty glass has notes of intensely sweet honey and hay.
Palate:
Red apples and cherries. Dark caramel and aromatic wood. I found that there’s also an almost refreshing note, something like peppermint, which is present (a distinctive influence from the ex-rye casks, perhaps?). A hint of marzipan, and the gentlest tingle of pepper. Quite oily in texture, with a generally deeper and richer flavour than the nose would suggest.
Finish:
The finish that lingers is sweet, but this eventually gives way to a faintly drying sensation that I would not have expected.
Comments:
Overall, I think that Glenmorangie’s new Triple Cask Reserve is a great addition to their core lineup. It seems that the use of an interesting combination of casks has imparted a richer and more complex profile than one might expect from an entry-level whisky.

It also seemed as if the influence of the rye cask in particular, while not overwhelming, was definitely noticeable.

It almost goes without saying that if you’re not a fan of rye whisky, then this one might not be to your taste – but if you’re looking to get into rye whisky then this whisky could provide a slightly muted introduction to some of those traditional rye flavours.

Perhaps not the most nuanced of drams, it’s nevertheless an excellent value for money whisky, and it offers something a little different from the other expressions in Glenmorangie’s core range.

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.

Genevieve Jacot-Guillarmod

Genevieve is a whisky enthusiast from South Africa with a PhD in Philosophy, so she enjoys both drinking and thinking about whisky. She loves tasting new whiskies whenever she gets the chance - so much so that a few years ago she set up a small whisky tasting business, "Kenton on Whisky", in the tiny coastal town where she lives (this also serves as an excellent excuse to grow her selection of whiskies beyond reasonable limits).

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