Glenmorangie has experimenting a bit more than most distilleries these days. In the last few years, we've had Scotch that was aged in madeira casks, wine casks, using fancy barley, Grand Cru barrels, casks made from premium slow-growth oak, and so on. Their Prestige Line releases a new interestingly-aged bottle every year, and 2018's release is Spios (Gaelic for "Spice"), which is aged entirely in rye whiskey barrels (!).
I found this at a hotel bar during a heavy rainstorm, hiding in the very back of the bar. I hadn't heard of Spios (forgive me), and I ordered a dram. The very obliging bartender gave me a generous pour, and I went to work.
This bottle is non-chill-filtered, but presumably colored. No age statement, but matured entirely in barrels that previously held 95% rye whiskey. Bottled at 46% ABV.
Nose: This is on the fence between subtle and too subtle. There are flavors here, but they are a little muted for my taste. Soft orange, like when you first cut into one. Prominent cereal grain. Soft spices, like cloves mixed in wet dough. Some vanilla. The rye influence is palpable, but gentle.
Mouthfeel: Fairly viscous, weighty.
Palate: Better than the nose. More spice comes through - cloves, nutmeg, all those baking spices. Sour cherries. Vanilla and maybe caramel. Bready.
Finish: Oak and more of the spices, along with pepper. Short finish, dissolves quickly.
Verdict: This is ... interesting, but I would never pay $100 for it. It has interesting rye notes spotted throughout, but nothing integrated or flavorful enough to really recommend. It's not bad, either, but maybe it's exactly the kind of thing best tried in a hotel bar. I feel like Glenmorangie has better offerings.
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