Home Tasting: Glenmorangie Official Port Wood Finish, Circulated in the Mid-2000s

Not a 'taster's dog' at all, but rather refined and delicious. Glenmorangie GLENMORANGIE OB PORT WOOD FINISH 43% Cask Strength Half-Bottle Set, Circulated in the Mid-2000s ・Aroma: Matured character with a gentle sweetness, balanced with some elegance. Notes of ripe oranges, plums, apricot jam, vanilla, a refined graininess from the depth, subtle dried herbs, and a creamy, sweet pastry-like quality. ・Flavor: Smooth and mellow upon drinking, with a velvety texture that spreads gradually across the tongue. Flavors of orange peel, plums, white wine, vanilla, cream, and a slightly flat but richly sweet body. A soft graininess is present, with gentle oak tannins that provide structure. While not complex, it's remarkably smooth and easy to drink, with a slight briny note. The rich, sweet aftertaste lingers for a long time. ・Dilution: Adding water makes it even more approachable, but surprisingly, the sweetness and body remain intact. However, only a small amount of dilution is recommended. ・Overall Impression: The matured character and the smooth, cohesive sweetness from the Port Wood Finish, likely due to aging in the bottle, create a very favorable impression. It combines clean elegance with a rich body, offering an extremely pleasant drinking experience. A very good example of Glenmorangie. This is the standard diluted version of Glenmorangie's official Port Wood Finish. It was sold as a half-bottle set with the cask strength version, which seems to have circulated in the mid-2000s. Initially, I thought of it as a 'taster's dog' compared to the cask strength version, but I now retract that statement. The bottle's aging has resulted in a refined texture, diverse fruity notes, rich sweetness, and an overall cohesive profile with no rough edges—making it extremely enjoyable to drink. There's no dryness, and the satisfaction of drinking a well-balanced, diluted malt at its prime was very satisfying.