Glenmorangie Signet

The FNB Whisky Live Festival 2010 held little that was new and interesting in the way of untried whiskies, with the exception of a few malts. The ludicrously bling bottle and casing of Glenmorangie's Signet stood out, but what was inside was even better.

This whisky, which is a culmination of over 20 years worth of ideas and 10 years of actual vision is priced at R1899 a bottle: a hefty price for an un-aged whisky in a market which has had increasing onus placed on the age of a malt (single or blended). However, the quality is evident from the nose to the finish and the fact that it tastes so amazing should over-rule any skepticism you have about it. For those who still want an age, the minimum is a 10 year-old (stored in designer casks of American oak made specifically for Glenmorangie), along with a variety of different sherry and oak casks, storing some single malts for up to 35 years.

What makes this whisky unique is its 15-20% composition of a chocolate malted barley. This barley is not of a different variety, but it is dried or roasted for longer, similar to ales, which is why it has the darker amber colour. A usual barley tastes sweet and almost like a cereal, whereas the chocolate malt is hard, charred and caramelized. This is also why such a coffee taste comes through in the whisky. The chocolate malt has been described as the espresso of malts compared to a regular cappuccino. It has resulted in a very untraditional bottling from this well reputed distillery.

Starting from swirling the liquid in a glass you can see it's extraordinary viscosity as the vapour trails stick to the sides. The nose is full of coffee notes, apricot, citrus and hints of chocolate with an anticipation of sweetness, which follows through into a sweet tasting, spice filled, flavour explosion with a long dry finish.

If you can afford this bottle, it won't disappoint. Get me some more is all I can say...