ralfy review 816 - Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14yo @46%vol

[@VibeXplorer]

This was my personal whisky of the year for 2019. Fantastic stuff, IMO

[@TheLongstrangetrip]

Just tried this last night and found the overall to be just way too citrus for me. The rest of the profile and flavors were fantastic but I got hung up on this real grapefruit forward flavor on the first taste. Could just be my inexperienced pallet.

[@cincinnatea8978]

Had this after a 45 minute run in heat, sun, and humidity of a summer in the U.S. Midwest. It was amazing. Noticed an undeniable chocolate (!) note with buttery shortbread - wholly unlike any other experience I had with it up to that point. I've since tried to recreate the experience (which involves a lot of sweat and suffering, to be honest), and have noticed how tasty this is when I'm hot and thirsty. No water added. It's a totally different beast when I'm cool and comfortable. Moral of story: this dram is getting me to exercise more.

[@WatfordWobble]

Best quote ever ‘devil is in the detail and so are the angles’. An interesting review. Thank you .

[@MrJonno85]

Or even the Angels 😉

[@CalimehChelonia]

An absolutely brilliant whiskey. Hands down.

[@DrakkarCalethiel]

This is the review I waited for. I had that expression on my list for good 8 months now.

[@romanaugustus9642]

I asked and you delivered! Thank you! This is a pleasant surprise! I love this stuff so much

[@micway71]

It sure is a good single malt!! One of my favorites! You can justify the price all day long.

[@davidsan9654]

I love how honest you are about how review should be viewed as localized opinions, not general facts.

[@alehhandro1]

I bought a bottle of The Quinta Ruban a month ago. All references to non-chill filtration are now removed from the box as well. The box is now made of metal, probably tin, is bright orange with spots in color and talks about Glenmorangie stills being as tall as grown giraffes. I guess the Moët Hennessy marketing department is getting the upper hand. Bought it on sale for about $47 US before taxes, add about 8.5% taxes for the total bill. Usually it sells for $55-60 before taxes in my area. Love Glenmorangie but would love to experience it truly non-chill filtered!

[@novola1972]

One of my firsts bottles when I embarked on the whiskey journey about 8 years ago! Liked it a lot and thanks Ralfy.

[@jamesboddington1389]

Will be interesting to see what you think of it over time. I had a bottle around 6 months ago, the first 3rd of which I loved. It had this beautiful floral fruitiness and the Port grape varieties were even distictive on the nose but after a month or two it lost all the floral fruity notes that made it so attractive and degenerated into a rich graceless malt completely dominated by American Oak. To be fair I live in Thailand and the ambient temp here is probably higher than ideal but I've never had a problem like that with before and a recent Talisker 10 did the opposite and got noticeably better over time

[@Kthedon123]

Got this bottle as a Christmas sipper. I absolutely loved it. A beautiful whisky

[@joejanca]

Was at a store, and torn between this and Balvenie 12 Double Wood. Pulled up your reviews really quickly and walked away with this for $10 less than the Balvenie. Seems like I made the right choice.

[@tarisco614]

How do you like it? I'm torn between this and a Glenfiddich 14 Bourbon Barrel when I go to town tomorrow.

[@joejanca]

@@tarisco614 I loooove the Quinta Ruban. I like the Glenfiddich too, but this is much more complex.

[@jdavis234]

@@tarisco614 they’re gonna be different, you get a lot of chocolate mint and dried red and citrus fruits on this one

[@tarisco614]

@@joejanca Ended up getting the Quinta Ruban. I havent tried a ton of scotches but I think this is my favorite.

[@felipeherrera6507]

The Balvenie 12 doblewood is also damn good

[@TheShredfest89]

I also added just a bit of Longrow 13. And the Peat made things very interesting. It was a solid dram

[@stevenbrown7048]

Agree. Most of my small collection is either independent bottlings or harder to find ones. Yet there’s a soft spot on my palette for Glenmo!

[@joethebar1]

Just cracked mine yesterday. What a beautiful dram. Wow

[@jeffreymills4307]

I bought this as a Christmas present for my wife and I'M enjoying it very much. Great review my friend! Jeff

[@brianjennings1624]

I greatly enjoyed the Lasanta 12 year sherry version. Just picked up a bottle of the 14 year QR. I can’t wait.

[@RuisRydo1205]

Great review. This one is one of my favourite whiskies, and certainly my favourite from Glenmorangie.

[@davidbroughall3782]

I've been waiting patiently for this to arrive in Canada. I finally picked it up today and opened it as soon as I got home. I very much enjoyed the 12 and can say that I'm equally enjoying the 14, if not more so. It's going to be difficult to make this one last any length of time.

[@befuddled2010]

I infrequently get to taste along, but this time I had an opportunity to do so and it was a great experience (and my bottle was almost down to the same level as Ralfy's). I can honestly say that I'm nowhere near his ability (and will likely never be), but I did get a decent chunk of the scents and flavors he pulled out. I very much enjoyed this whisky and the pleasure to taste along with the Master.

[@Hindle1978]

I'm do like a wee dram from almost anything in the Glenmorangie range, and the Quinta Ruban is great.

[@jbhomme]

Really interesting as always Ralfy. I thought the 12 yr version had more port wine influence than the 14 which seems strange. It's all in the casks as you say.

[@criell-sdkwhisky8674]

I agree with you Ralfy, was surprised how good this was. Regarding the extra 2 years compared to the old 12 y.o... My thought was that they refilled the old quinta ruban casks and therefor they needed a little more time because less active casks.

[@mrnosebear7406]

Hi Ralfy, thanks for excellent review. I remember the Portwood from the old times. I really enjoyed it. I only tried a small dram of the 12 year old Quinta Ruban in my neighbour's house and I liked it too. Cheers from Germany

[@TheGroundedCoffee]

Gonna receive me one of those tomorrow. Can't waiiiit to open it!

[@chriswitham8736]

The Glenmorangie tour pays particular attention to casks and allows the visitor to stick their noses into a Bourbon, sherry and port cask filled with their whisky. It's a really good idea. What was interesting was that each cask smelled of the previous content, the Bourbon cask smelled of Jack Daniels and the port cask of port. No whisky smell. There are some obscure Springbank port casked whiskies which are stupendous. One day I'll open that GlenAllachie one you did.

[@benrobson1177]

Was considering buying this bottle next month so was delighted to see it reviewed. I’ll definitely be purchasing now!

[@BJL1970]

Bought this the morning of the 9th in Pennsylvania because it was on sale. Got it home and saw your video later that day. Love your reviews and watching the videos has defiantly increased my enjoyment of many varieties. This is a good one. Taste great.

[@robfut9954]

I always thought the 10 was one of the better basic malts out there. Good price, solid quality and naturally good mannered. Especially in this age of some distillers charging $60-$70 for their 10.

[@andrewblatherwick8758]

Glenmorangie 10 was my first step on the Malt Whisky journey. Not the best out there but i will always have a soft spot for this distillery

[@RyanBellMusic]

"The devil's in the details, and so are the angels."

[@nonpctasters2272]

all the glemorangie i've had has been wonderful

[@nickentros]

Totally agree. Great malts with reasonable prices

[@brianboru8858]

I personally found the 10 to be horrible stuff. Would be interested to try this expression tho

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

Ralfy, I very much apreciate your tasting notes. I recently had a brief discussion with a prominant whisky reviewer in the comments section of one of his videos, when he constantly referred to a two particular single malts as having sherry flavour notes. Now, I knew from my kashrus contacts that these two expressions had been matured exclusively in Ex-Bourbon casks! I am very fortunate to have a few bottles of the Golan Heights Single Cask 8 (Kosher Port Style cask), 13 (Kosher Chardonnay Brandy cask) and 47 (another Port style) and it is clear as day where all these lovely red and black fruit notes are coming from. Lastly, interesting that you picked up on lots of creamy vanilla notes, presumably coming from the American White Oak which they used in Portugal to make their Port pipes, rather than the more traditional European oak.

[@ipad141]

Hi Ralfy got your book Friday nearly finished it , that might not sound much I haven’t read a book for a few years, i’m so enjoying it.sean

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . glad your enjoying it, thanks for buying my book !

[@johnbrien2254]

what is the name of the book

[@thewhiskybothy]

@@johnbrien2254 "Search For A Whisky Bothy" by ralfy. Available on Amazon.

[@johnbrien2254]

thanks ralf

[@TheLPUnknown]

Ralfy, just checked my comments on this whisky from December 2019 - spot on :) glad you enjoyed the dram as much as I did in comparison. Crisp, fresh and clean, quality made spirit and affordable 🍻

[@RichR65Ct]

Iam actually sipping this one while watching the review.I picked it up in Glastonbury Ct. U.S. I had a feeling I would be impressed because of the age statement and being 46%.The store also had a bottle of Macallan 25 year for $ 2100 sheesh,maybe next time.

[@quintonking5089]

Thank you for this review, Ralfy. Pulled the trigger on this wonderful scotch today and it is a beautiful expression in every sense.

[@michaelcharlesthearchangel]

Yes, agreed. Chocolate 🍫 and then light cigars on the finish. I thought there was peat in there.

[@321southtube]

I just brought a bottle of this from Costco...as of yet I haven't tried it. However, due to this video....Im buying 1 to 3 bottles more. Sir...this is an entertaining, intriguing and wonderful video. One of my favorites of 2020. It was nice to have a drink with you. Hello from the US....Be safe - Be well

[@trhoads07]

Thank you Ralfy for your integrity reviews. Always a pleasure to hear your thoughts on some of the worlds finest spirits. (more rum reviews , please and thank you)

[@mr2gordons940]

Good to find this one available locally! By the 9:00 point I thought we were going to get the first reference to snozzberries.

[@WhiskyWhistle]

Ralfy this bottle left the Manitoba Liquor staffers and pencil pushers running around and going to the back wondering why it’s the same price as the old 12. I bought two before they decide to change their minds. I think now that port maturation and finishing are commonplace they decided to claw back some market share which I think they deserve. I broke my policy and poured a little and shared a dram with you. That dang cranberry will be stuck in my head now. Guess I’ll have to mention you again. Cheers🥃🥃🥃🥃 Mark

[@SunJigglet]

Heyo, Winnipegger! :)

[@WhiskyWhistle]

SJ Hong hello back!

[@UZI-Max]

Just bought one on your recommendation, I always appreciate your input ! Got 30 ish bottles of whisk(e)y at home all Ralfy approved !! 🥃👌🏻 Cheers mate ! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇳🇱 greetings from the Netherlands 👋🏻

[@falcon81701]

Just cracked open the 12 this week and love it. Looking forward to trying this.

[@take-in]

Was almost willing you on to get Botswana right, Ralfy! And, that is 3 years after you have already recorded this. Love the vibe. Like chatting with a friend over a drink, which is the best way to enjoy a drink! Cheers!

[@Lindholmer5k]

Will be buying a bottle! Never had a port wood whiskey, and let me tell you, i love port! Especialy with a good nicarao cigar

[@stevesk8r]

Just happened to purchase this today and didnt realize you had just reviewed it, wonderful deal!

[@graham2954]

The NAS and 12 yo both have non-chill filtered on the bottle.

[@darth-umbrex]

It's late 2021 and I'm enjoying a nip of this. Not bad at all I usually stick to Islay scotches but I like this.

[@colbywhale]

My theory on the jump from 12 to 14 years is to separate its self from the huge amount of 12 year whisky’s out there. I do also agree with your statements if the newer casks needing a little longer to do their job properly

[@whiskeygrunt772]

The US has a gift pack of the 10, Nectar D'or, Quinta Ruban and Lasanta. I tried that a couple years ago and the QR was my favorite then, sounds like it's much improved.

[@trespasser121]

This is not that QR, it's not nearly as good imho, even though it's older.

[@steviesummertimebreezy5766]

I agree Ralphie information should be on the bottle especially if that bottle is on the shelf of a bar or pub

[@darkoanton5]

I like this one. It's drinks well and it is decent priced here compared to many other whiskies.

[@jimm8799]

Just purchased my first bottle based on this review. Looking forward to trying it.

[@xiamengbaby]

Very close to an integrity malt: age stated, 46% ABV, non-chill filtered. All that's missing is a natural color declaration.

[@Balduin-di9hl]

Well somebody from Germany here. German law forces the distillery to print on their label when it is colored if they want to sell it here and there is nothing on the label of this Quinta Ruban so you can be pretty sure it has natural color.

[@bigchief939]

@@Balduin-di9hl Always been curious because it is one of my favorites!

[@ZaDude1970]

Tasted both Quinta's back-to-back at the last Whisky Live Beirut 2019 event. Very fond of the 12yo. As for the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 14yo, found it very good, the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban 12yo on the other hand has a flavour profile that's a notch more pronounced. Whispered my opinion to the Scotsman senior ambassador & he agreed. Said he liked the 14 but if he had to pick one, he found the 12yo just a bit more to his preference.

[@jackofmanytrades4396]

I'm having some right now. It's wonderful. After this review, I had better get another bottle or two before the price goes up.

[@glennandersen4748]

Wery nice this one but i think it s a integrety malt its 46%, non chillfilterd and natural color

[@kamenovkamen]

Hey, Ralfy! Interesting pick on the age statement. I'm being even more pessimistic and assume it's because they try to squeeze an extra refill but the wood is really tired already and has less influence so they don't have a choice but leave it for extra 2 years to get decent results. It lines up with the lacking fruity richness from before. Anyway, still a good malt. At the moment I got my eyes on Arran Amarone Cask Finish which looks interesting (unfortunately no age statement) and is quite affordable. Cheers!

[@marcwhiskey]

I had this at a whiskey fest recently and could swear there was slight peat influence. Maybe my palate or glass was tainted. But this has been on my list for a long time now. Will still be looking to buy it

[@davidarmstrong2078]

I remember drinking a port wood finished glenmorangie at my 6th form leaving do 20 years ago.

[@billyhughes9776]

I gotta get a bottle of this -- I had the previous 12yo version and loved it.

[@SpootyMcGee]

The 12yo Quinta ruban was the start of my scotch whisky journey. I need to try the 14yo to compare.

[@adriannudelman4519]

Go buy one now. This 14yo is incredibly wonderful as the 12yo. This version feels a bit more like the port finish, which is what I like most.

[@andy_calderwood]

Fair review and a favourite of mine (and the 12 before it. ) always got a QR on the go and as noted, can generally be picked up for a decent price in the UK every so often . Does what you expect for a decent core range , fair priced bottle and it wont disappoint. I did think the last 12 I had did state natural colour. However cant remember for sure.

[@dermothoyne2393]

I have one possible logic approach, that would be more fitting, to their push towards an age statement of 14YO. Keeping with the idea of continuity and addressing these QR bottlings. The now-vintage 12YO, would've been their 10YO baseline + 2Yrs held, in their sourced Port Pipes. Playing around with Port, is a delicate balancing act [compared to Sherry]. And Whisk(e)y doesn't always follow procedure, no matter how much you want things to run like clockwork. Some barrels may need substantially more exposure time, when others may just need a fist full of months / 1Yr, to leach out those [extra] desired properties. By offering this increased slack room (say a mixture of 10-13YO baseline + 1-4Yr finishings, meeting the 14YO timeframe), gives more hit barrels for vatting / bottling freindly... Who knows how many barrels may have been discarded, for being overly done / underprepped, back with the past [rigid] gameplan

[@alexk3088]

Honestly I think they weren't selling enough of the QR12 so their stock aged and they released it as 14. Whisky Loch 2.0. And I liked the QR12 so I'm sure I'll enjoy this one. Good move. And I'm not clear why this isn't considered an integrity bottle, it ticks all the boxes. As did the Nectar d'Or before they made it a NAS.

[@cookinsdabest]

That's not how it works, they actually give the whiskey 2 extra years in the port casks. Whiskey doesn't age after it's bottled, it mellows

[@alexk3088]

@@cookinsdabest that's what I meant, their stock aged in the casks.

[@robGwaldo]

Can you explain why glenmorangie core ranges, aside from 10yo, do not advertise their age statements in most online listings? Quint ruban, La Santa, thats it, on several different websites. Must be intentional? Odd strategy?

[@bradmartin7409]

That old alarm clock doesn't seem to be ticking very well Ralfy. I paid $50 for it hear in upstate New York I think the malt Mark is a little generous but it's a solid whisky

[@dialanddram]

Whereabouts in upstate?

[@bradmartin7409]

I'm from the Troy area Dial & Dram

[@nzmarco]

This was an ok scotch for me. I'm not of a massive fan of the base Glenmorangie flavour profile. It seemed quite hot (particularly the 10) and the vanilla/toffee flavours seemed too artificial. But what would I know as I sit here enjoying an Oban 14.

[@NickVolk]

Howdy Ralfy! Thanks for the pretty informative and educational review as usual. Could ya please tell me if it's similar to rum?

[@brucecrichton3996]

Ralfy, I recommend Tomatin 14 Port cask finish. Both in terms of geography, taste, age and finish, it's an obvious comparison

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . I will look out for it !

[@kevinbakaj6056]

My bottle is set to arrive tomorrow, can’t wait to try it!

[@thewhiskybothy]

. . . enjoy !

[@xiamengbaby]

Tough to pull the trigger on this one right now as the Glenmorangie 10 yr old (43% ABV) 1.75 liter bottle is on sale for $50. The QR is $53 for 0.75 liters.

[@TheGothicHangman]

Honestly had a hard time believing the color was natural. It did grown on me and I'll try you're method next bottle.

[@palkokity8235]

It was fairly easy to find that Glenmorangie had one 10 year old option, three 12yo options, and an 18. They decided to bump the Quinta Ruban from 12 to 14 to fill the gap. It had nothing to do with quality of oak casks..

[@pi17835]

I have no idea why, but I nearly always get an unpleasant burn from many Glenmorangie, same with Balvenie... I don’t understand it, because I don’t get it from Ardbeg or Laphroig which also have 46% (plus). Anyway, this burn makes me not a fan of Glenmorangie 10 or this extra matured series (Nectar D‘or is kind of an exception), but I liked the 18y old, which didn’t have it.

[@l.s.1709]

It could have to do with the cuts that the distiller selects for the whisky and that there are more early cuts in it. Maybe decanting or oxidizing the whisky would help.

[@Themilkmanskid.]

"Pour the (dram) stuff out of the bottle". 😄👍 I agree it should be on the bottle label at least.

[@randyblankenship8203]

Finally tried a sampler of this...wow. On my list to buy a 750ml

[@thomasbuck303]

Nice review Ralfy, I also enjoyed this single malt.

[@willemkilian9563]

Enjoy your discussions, thank you!

[@Tantrum777]

This is a good one and I agree with the mark. Nice review Ralfy.

[@mcomiskey7]

Even Mr Count Dracula himself is a Ralfy fan. Mr Dracula, on behalf of all the other malt mates we say thank you for the malt mention. Hope all is well in Transylvania buddy.

[@TheShredfest89]

I thought that they Increased the age Because they re used the port casks from the last Quinta Reuben.

[@jonwilliams23]

I really enjoy and trust your reviews, this one especially, since I found this bottle recently for a bargain price.

[@MrChristopherMolloy]

It's a gem!

[@cyclops214]

I had the 12 years and I loved it then I tried the 14 years and I hated it. They need to go back to 12 years.

[@perkristiansandgren4132]

😯 i tryed the 12 and like it, never tryed the 14 yet

[@rellorellin7544]

I wish glenmorangie would be more transparent. They put out fantastic whiskey but always leave us with doubt.

[@dlfendel2844]

As a major fan of the original Glenmorangie wood-finish offerings, I hoped to rekindle my former enjoyment, but while I appreciate your review and find lots I agree with, to MY palate this is a much hotter/harsher incarnation and I'm somewhat disappointed in it. Perhaps as the bottle opens it will mellow that edge off. We'll see.

[@cheesegraham2387]

Found a bottle of the 12yo in my locsl newsagents the other day, the walls are lined with old whiskies

[@tooslow1614]

Thanks Ralfy

[@johnmcmunn3827]

Ralfy, how could you forget Alexander McCall Smith?? Right enough he does live on the East Coast, Edinburgh :) :) cheers john

[@alexk3088]

Ralfy, still no review of the Nectar D'Or? 12 years, 46%, ncf, no colorant and delicious. Not that I'm holding my breath 😉

[@lewisbh2092]

Nectar d'or is now NAS unfortunately

[@alexk3088]

@@lewisbh2092 yep. I've "badgered" Ralfy to review it for years, now I'll be the first to say: "please don't bother". I won't be buying it again. Plenty of fish in the sea.

[@dougfunk01]

@@alexk3088 I bought it and don't think it's anything special either. The lasanta is far better than d'or

[@alexk3088]

@@dougfunk01 the 12-yo Nectar d'Or that I bought ~5 years ago was really nice. Still have some of it. Shame on them removing the age statement. I did buy a couple of the new 14yo QR's. Glenmorangie was one of the first malts I tried, so I'm somewhat partial to the distillery. But I don't play favorites and I don't do brand loyalty, unless they give me intrinsic reasons for it.

[@pawelkaminski2565]

A delicious single malt and good value for money considering the age and the process, $58 here in the states. Just one question, is this the glenmorangie 10 year old plus four years in port pipes, or some other combination? Even with my allergies I can enjoy the smell and taste of this crafted malt, Ralfy is the beagle of sniffing out good SMSW!

[@jswanny1]

We have this in my restaurant, it seems to be a hard sell. I love this malt and work it on my guest.

[@mrkingzilla7]

Hey Ralfy, do distilleries change the way they make their New Make Spirit based on what type of casks they are going to put it in, (Bourbon, Sherry, Port, etc)?

[@Sagaris380]

Please review The Quiteman Irish Whiskey 12yr sherry and Bourbon finish. I think you will enjoy it very much.

[@ericgilbert8114]

Let tell you how objective whisky is. One of worst single malts I ever had was a late 90's Glenmorangie Port Cask and one of the best was a early 2000's sherry cask, in the same tasting. I really forgotten about Glenmorangie and we need to re introduce ourselves I say.

[@iancrombie8862]

89 about right.Very good this one..the best of Glenmorangie!😋😋

[@RebMordechaiReviews]

Hi Ralfy. Regarding every reviewer giving something a yridiculously high mark. Yes, I know exactly what you are sayiing. I remember everyone going crazy about the Lagavulin 12 2017. I have experienced every vintage from 2011 and in my opinion, it was good but not way better than the 2011, 2015 or 2016. Just slightly different. Also, you get certain whiskies which get mediocre or low scores because the distillery is considered supermarket level, such as Glen Moray.

[@drgallup]

I'm a Glenmorangie fan but I've not had this one. Clearly something I need to correct.