Glenmorangie original not getting respect?

[bourboNcigars]

I was at a local binnys and someone asked me what a good single malt scotch would be for $45 or less and I right away told him glenmorangie original and a store worker said well its OK it's very mild and weak..I looked at him like wtf? To me glenmorangie original is what saved scotch whiskies..I had swore them off even after macallans and glenlivets just did not like them, I understand we are all different and will like different things but this is not the first time and I find myself more often then not deepening the glenmorangie original..Am I just nuts that I prefer this over the more mainstream brands or is it really just a bland and weak scotch?

[garbanzobean]

I doubt you'll get a lot of argument that Glenmorangie Original is a solid value single malt. It's gentle, fairly subtle, and generally pretty tasty. But I think that calling it the malt that saved scotch whisky is hyperbole. It's pretty good, and possibly even under appreciated, but not exactly rocking savior status. More likely said Binny's employee prefers peat or sherry bombs, in which case trying to convince him/her that Glenmo Original is awesome would be akin to telling a hophead that a particular wheat beer or kolsch is amazing and being surprised when said hophead finds it lacking in the one thing he/she likes and is always looking for.

Maybe you're being a bit too high strung about whiskey in general? This stuff is made for enjoying, after all. Given how subjective taste is, folk are probably going to disagree with you as often as they might agree.

Edited May 26, 2014 by garbanzobean

[bourboNcigars]

Lol I'm sorry I meant it saved scotch for me. I had swore it off and only stuck to bourbons and gave up having any scotch whiskey in my collection until I gave it one last try and tryed glenmorangie. .I don't take it serious I'm relaxed about it..but passionate has well

[GaryT]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of it - although I don't believe there are a lot at the $30 price point in terms of quality single malts. I haven't tried Ardmore single malt (about the same price?), but I'm more likely to save up a few extra bucks to get in the $45-$50 range where I prefer several other options (Balvenie 12yr Double Wood, Laphroaig 10 yr, HP 12, or even Glenmorangie The Quinta Ruban). Glenmorangie The Original isn't "bad", but it leaves me wanting - so in that regard, I would call it weaker than I prefer (or perhaps a more polite description would be "more subtle than I prefer").

[squire]

Sophisticated, yeah, that's the word. I like it for what it is and if I want something more robust there are other choices. I would've pointed out to the clerk that Glenmorangie is the largest selling single malt in Scotland and that fact alone makes it worthy of recommendation.

[wadewood]

Glenmorangie gets plenty of respect from me. It has great balance. It's age stated at 10 years old. And it's 86 proof whereas most of it's competitors in same price range are 80 proof.

Often times store whiskey salesman have SPIFFs (extra sales $'s) to sale a particular brand that week. By you giving this customer this advice, you might have just took a couple of dollars from his pocket.

[Josh]

It's a nice go-to, easy-going Scotch. I love Islays, Islands and the heavier Speysiders but sometimes in the summer or spring something simple like Glenmorangie Original is very nice.

[squire]

It's certainly got a lot going for it which is why the Scots give it their number one spot domestically.

[Max Power]

Glenmorangie gets plenty of respect from me. It has great balance. It's age stated at 10 years old. And it's 86 proof whereas most of it's competitors in same price range are 80 proof.

Often times store whiskey salesman have SPIFFs (extra sales $'s) to sale a particular brand that week. By you giving this customer this advice, you might have just took a couple of dollars from his pocket.

I would pretty much echo this. Very nice drink. Good balance and one that you can spend an entire evening with without getting palate fatigued or bored. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Lost Pollito]

I really like Glenmorangie quite a bit. Soft, fruity , rich, and quite complex for the price. What did the employee suggest?

[bourboNcigars]

He suggested the ardbeg 10, which I love ardbeg products but for a first time scotch drinker not sure if something that heavily smoky and peaty is what I would have suggested..

[smokinjoe]

Solid whiskey, IMO. The old Port Wood Finished was a go-to for me a decade, or so, ago. And, I'd mix a few of the standard release in there, too. Great QPR when you look at some of the pricing in the scotch aisle. Had the opportunity to SBS the PWF with the Quinta Ruban at the GBS scotch dive, and am pleased to say the QR holds up well to it's predecessor. That's a good thing, as I can't keep relying on cool dudes in Southern Illinois to keep me in dusty PWFs!

Doing a little research on the E150a thing, and I did read that Glemorangie is one distillery that uses the coloring agent to keep consistent batch-to-batch color, though. I'm still not sure what I think about all that, though...

[Lost Pollito]

He suggested the ardbeg 10, which I love ardbeg products but for a first time scotch drinker not sure if something that heavily smoky and peaty is what I would have suggested..

I thought that would be the case. Sounds like you got someone that enjoys the full throttle attack of Ardbeg, but fails to, or just doesn't care to grasp the softer / easier, and more approachable malts. I wonder what they think about Auchentoshan, or Hazelburn. Same thing happens in the land of beer. Sometimes, hop heads just can't enjoy the softer options because the flavor just isn't as big and forceful.

[bourboNcigars]

I'm a lasanta man myself

[Lost Pollito]

...and I prefer Astar. To bad it's been discontinued.

[wadewood]

Doing a little research on the E150a thing, and I did read that Glemorangie is one distillery that uses the coloring agent to keep consistent batch-to-batch color, though. I'm still not sure what I think about all that, though...

[HP12]

He suggested the ardbeg 10, which I love ardbeg products but for a first time scotch drinker not sure if something that heavily smoky and peaty is what I would have suggested..

[bourboNcigars]

My next glenmorangie purchase will be the companta, but at $100 a bottle that will have to wait a few months, I may make it a bday gift to myself in august, that and the 18 year original I've always wanted has well

[sutton]

...and I prefer Astar. To bad it's been discontinued.

[tanstaafl2]

+1 .. this was one fine bottle. Sorry they didn't keep this one up.

Saw that one on the shelf just today and one came home with me for a pretty decent price. I think there a couple more. Will have to try it soon to see if I need to rescue the remaining stragglers from the shelf!

[garbanzobean]

He suggested the ardbeg 10, which I love ardbeg products but for a first time scotch drinker not sure if something that heavily smoky and peaty is what I would have suggested..

Yeah that's what I figured. Some people have no appreciation for subtler malts. I once saw a local store owner talk a couple of college guys with Christmas money and no knowledge of or experience with scotch who were looking for something special into an Octomore 3.1. Because that's a good first malt.

[Max Power]

My next glenmorangie purchase will be the companta, but at $100 a bottle that will have to wait a few months, I may make it a bday gift to myself in august, that and the 18 year original I've always wanted has well

IMO the 18 year blows away the Companta. The 18 is a damn near perfect unpeated, highland dram. The Companta is a like a dryer Quinta Ruban. It's a darn fine drink, but 18 is really good.

[Max Power]

Yeah that's what I figured. Some people have no appreciation for subtler malts. I once saw a local store owner talk a couple of college guys with Christmas money and no knowledge of or experience with scotch who were looking for something special into an Octomore 3.1. Because that's a good first malt.

The dumbass college kids should have known that the best use for the money would have been a case of Fireball.

[garbanzobean]

The dumbass college kids should have known that the best use for the money would have been a case of Fireball.

I'm fairly certain I would never spend $190+ on a bottle of anything without being pretty damn certain I would enjoy its contents.

[sutton]

I once saw a local store owner talk a couple of college guys with Christmas money and no knowledge of or experience with scotch who were looking for something special into an Octomore 3.1. Because that's a good first malt.

Well that should scare them off Scotch for the next 15+ years ... reminds me of this scene, about 2:04 in ...