Tongue twisters: The new Glenmorangie range

Published on Friday 21 November 2008 12:34

SEXY, like soaking your tongue in a bath full of silk. Or a fine gentleman, you know, a man with impeccable manners. If Jilly Goolden thought she had a monopoly on outrageously florid tasting notes, she hasn't met her whisky equivalent, Rachel Barrie, master blender for Glenmorangie.

I have riffed with some of the best in the business – including the late Michael Jackson, Charlie MacLean, Paul Pacult (in an apartment in New York) and the impeccably dressed and often outrageous master blender for Whyte & Mackay, Richard Paterson – but nothing compares to Barrie's eccentric, fluid and unexpected style. Marzipan, orange peel, citrus and white chocolate are just some of the flavours she extracts from the Glenmorangie original. Deliciously smooth and silky are her favourite adjectives.

We are at the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Leith, a labyrinth of elegant Georgian rooms that sit above the Vaults, one of the most historic sites in the British wine trade. For centuries, alcohol of all kinds – but mainly claret from Bordeaux and port from Oporto – made its way into Scotland through the nearby port of Leith. But today we are talking whisky, in particular Signet, the latest creation to come out of Barrie's laboratory in Broxburn.

It has been four years since Glenmorangie was sold to the Paris-based luxury goods firm Louis Vuitton Mot Hennessy (LVMH), where it joined a portfolio of extremely prestigious brands such as Krug champagne, Chteau Cheval Blanc and New Zealand's iconic white wine Cloudy Bay. Luxury is taken very seriously at LVMH, so it's not surprising that the range has been revamped and repackaged, the website upgraded and a 45m investment announced for its distillery in Tain, Ross-shire.

Barrie joined Glenmorangie in the mid-1990s after reading chemistry at Edinburgh University and working alongside Jim Swan at the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. It was there that she began work in the maturation and blending department, delving into the science of wood and trying to identify the perfect bourbon cask for whisky maturation. Many of her findings have been a key part of Glenmorangie's famous wood finishes.

It was in 1997, long before LVMH was on the scene, that she and her colleague Dr Bill Lumsden were tasked with producing "the next phenomenon". Flavours Barrie wanted to achieve in this whisky included coffee and chocolate. "I remember thinking that I wanted to create something that was rich, voluptuous and exotic, with that strong flavour of coffee," she says.

Lumsden and Barrie achieved it by working with malted barley. By hiking up the temperature during kilning to around 250C, they managed to lock in the roasted flavour of leathery chocolate and mocha. The other factor was the oak, which they sourced from the Ozark mountains in Missouri. Having charred the inside of the barrels for three minutes, they managed to introduce a butterscotch character.

Tasting Signet, which retails at 111.95, I admit that it certainly has instant appeal. If I have one gripe, though, it's that the label doesn't state the whisky's age. For years, industry experts have been telling us that aged whisky is the superior product, but now it seems that non-aged malts are back in fashion.

Glenmorangie Lasanta, 46%, 31.50

Matured in oloroso sherry casks, this has an unmistakably rich, spicy, sherried feel. It is rounded and powerful and possesses a varnished, antique flavour on the nose. A brooding whisky to be enjoyed by the fire.

Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban, 46%, 32.95

Copper-pink in the glass, with a nose that has a distinctive prickle. Walnut, sandalwood, Seville orange and dark chocolate all dominate, while the palate has a peppery, butterscotch character. Probably the most sophisticated whisky in the range.

Glenmorangie Signet, 46%, 111.95

The nose is a mix of dark chocolate, coffee and mocha, while the palate possesses a crackle of spicy ginger and vanilla. Given its generous character, this will have wide appeal.

Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, 46%, 39.50

This has slightly more residual sugar, which gives it notes of lemon, oven-baked gingerbread, brioche and creamy custard. It is very smooth.

Stockists Royal Mile Whiskies (0131 524 9380, www.royalmilewhiskies.com); The Whisky Shop (01463 710525, www.whiskyshop.com); Gordon & MacPhail (01343 545111, www.gordonandmacphail.com)