Glenmorangie 1978 Tain l'Hermitage Finish

It has a good grape juice-like sensation and is a masterpiece of wine cask finishing. Glenmorangie GLENMORANGIE 1978 TAIN L'HERMITAGE FINISH 43% The aroma features plums, grape juice, orange, good woody notes, rich and complex, with a nice malty character. The mouthfeel is smooth, leading to strong grape juice flavors and sweetness. While the sweetness is slightly flat, it doesn't feel cloying, with a pleasant astringency, rich and refined flavor, making it quite delicious. [Very Good] This is Glenmorangie's Tain l'Hermitage Finish, distilled in 1978. As usual, it was matured for 12 years in American white oak casks before being finished in barrels from Tain l'Hermitage, a red wine from the Côtes du Rhône region. There is no mention of whether this references the town of Tain where Glenmorangie is located. Considering that they started using cask finishes around 1990, it's clear Glenmorangie had been experimenting with cask finishes long before that—truly a pioneer. The aroma already clearly conveys the pleasant fruity notes reminiscent of high-quality wine casks, such as grape juice. It also exhibits fruitiness from bourbon cask origins, which likely existed prior to the finish, along with a malty character, making it surprisingly complex for its aging period. Upon tasting, the strong flat sweetness often associated with wine casks is present but not overly cloying. Similar to the aroma, nuances of grape juice are detectable, while a good red wine-like astringency tightens the flavor profile. From first sip to finish, this malt exudes a refined elegance, making it very enjoyable. While I generally don't favor wine cask finishes, this one stood out as particularly delicious among them.