Glenmorangie likes to call The Taghta a ‘crowd-sourced’ whisky. Almost all of its characteristics (name, cask type, graphic identity…) were decided by its fans in online polls. An interesting concept, although you could ask how reliable it is for the general public to decide on things like a cask type – most will not have tasted the different options beforehand.
Glenmorange The Taghta is finished in Manzanilla sherry casks – an unusual choice for whisky maturation in general, and an unusual choice when coming from such a large panel. By the way it seems Glenmorangie has been experimenting with different styles of sherry. The new Glenmorangie Dornoch was finished in Amontillado casks – quite rare as well.
The Taghta means The Chosen.
Glenmorangie The Taghta
(46%, OB 2014, 12.000 btl.)
Nose: surprisingly sweet at first, but on a second level there are certainly elements of Manzanilla. Salted almonds, walnuts, zesty citrus and a buttery touch. Golden raisins, soft hints of honey. Maybe dates. Fairly light overall.
Mouth: spicy and quite acidic and zingy (lemon sherbet), although there’s still a raisiny sweetness too. A little caramel. Pepper and ginger. A ‘green’ briney note as well, maybe echoes of the olive juice that’s so typical of Manzanilla.
Finish: not too long, with some gingery oak and salty notes coming through.
This Taghta is an interesting dram, not exactly the easy-going whisky I would expect from a big crowd. It has the typical Glenmorangie sweetness but puts it against salty and zingy notes that are a little overpowering. Around € 85.
Score: 83/100