Glenmorangie Astar was originally released in 2008, matured in bespoke casks made from oak from the Ozark mountains of Missouri - though it was discontinued in 2012. In 2017, Astar was born again! The 2017 release of Glenmorangie Astar was once again fully aged in bespoke casks made from oak from the Ozark mountains of Missouri, and has been bottled at 52.5% ABV.
This bottle was part of a private collection - if you'd like more detailed photos just get in touch!
Honeycomb and caramel, with a hint of peaches in syrup underneath.
Touches of nutmeg and ginger bring the heat to the palate. Still rich in honey'd malt, joined by toasted pecan and hazelnut cream.
Salted fudge, vanilla ice cream (a hint of ice cream cone, too) and mint leaf.
Meh, don't bother. save your money, get the Bacalta, Dornoch, Duthac, Tayne or even Milsean instead. I'm a BIG fan of the Morangie (I have 10 expressions in my collection) but this is definitely the worst. No complexity, no depth. Vanilla, more vanilla, a bit more vanilla, hint of chocolate, a little pepper. It's ok but not at this price. The "cask strength" is hiding the lack of flavour.
The taste of a Whisky is always a very personal thing. For me, when sipping Astar neat, at room temperature, I found the charred oak and hot, harsh alcohol overpowering. However, sip Astar from a tumbler full of ice straight from the freezer and it morphs into something quite different. The ice cools the fiery heat of the alcohol and softens the hard oak, allowing the sweetness and flavours of honey and vanilla to spread out across your palate, along with spicy ginger and black pepper. It is smooth, almost unctuously smooth – a dram to mull over quietly on a long winter evening in front of a log fire. The original, even more alcoholic Astar was very popular with serious whisky enthusiasts, and I suspect that this will be too. For myself, it’s very different to my usual preference, which tends towards the fruity, Christmas cake end of the spectrum, but, for an occasional change, I’d be happy to keep a bottle at the back of the fridge.
