Glenmorangie is relaunching and enhancing The Lasanta as part of the brand’s core range. The single malt whisky is now aged 15 years in bourbon and sherry casks.
Glenmorangie adapts The Lasanta with a new recipe
Glenmorangie Lasanta 12 Year Old is one of the Highland distillery’s most popular whiskies, but we’re told that director of whisky creation, Dr Bill Lumsden and master blender, Gillian Macdonald, believed they could make it “even more deliciously complex”.
They were “inspired to age the whisky longer” and refine its cask recipe. This move, however, made me think of Melita Kiely’s excellent article Are we in a new era of age-statement Scotch?*
In it, she argues that after a decade dominated by no-age-statement (NAS) whiskies, the industry is shifting back towards age statements following a wave of high-age releases, including Glenmorangie upgrading its Original 10 Year Old to a 12-year age statement.
This trend is credited to improved stock management, allowing distilleries to bring back age-stated expressions, as well as Covid-19 delayed planned releases creating a backlog of aged stock now hitting the market.
But it’s also seen as Scotch whisky flexing its muscles amidst rising global competition. Premium releases reinforce Scotch’s prestige and, while age doesn’t = quality, it remains a powerful marketing tool. Just ask Harrison Ford. Har har har.
The new Glenmorangie Lasanta 15 Years Old
Glenmorangie Lasanta 15 Years Old: get yours soon
“With its rich spice and luscious sweetness, Glenmorangie Lasanta is a whisky that elicits the radiant wonder of sunset and has been a favourite of Glenmorangie fans for some time,” Dr Lumsden is quoted as saying in the press release.
“Now aged for 15 years in an enhanced selection of bourbon and oloroso sherry casks, we’ve introduced even more complex and elegant notes to this whisky, all working together in delicious balance.”
Glenmorangie Lasanta 15 Years Old is bottled at 43% ABV and will be available to purchase in the UK from April onwards, with a suggested RRP of £54.
Glenmorangie Lasanta 15 Years Old tasting note:
Nose: Rich, aromatic, spicy and deep, with notes of mead, honeycomb, walnut and a touch of charcoal. A splash of water opens up the powerful bouquet, revealing some more floral and fruity top notes, like carnation, flowering currants, chocolate-coated raisins, baking bread and toffee.
Palate: A sizzling, spicy mouthfeel leads into a burst of rich flavours such as Brazil nuts in toffee, molasses, charcoal, cinnamon and clove, with a background of leather, oak tannins and dark chocolate.
Finish: Long and lingering, with hints of Seville orange marmalade, dates and treacle.
What do you make of this news? Let us know in the comments below.
Glenmorangie Lasanta 15 Years Old will be available from Master of Malt soon.
