Glenmorangie Calvados Cask Finish Scotch Whisky
Glenmorangie Calvados Cask Finish Scotch Whisky is a 92-proof (46% ABV) 12-year-old 750mL single malt — the fifth release in Glenmorangie's Barrel Select series of small-batch cask finishes. After more than ten years in American white-oak bourbon casks, the whisky was transferred to casks that had held Calvados du Pays d'Auge — apple brandy from Normandy, France — for 20 years. It is Glenmorangie's first-ever Calvados cask finish, bottled non chill-filtered. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 92 proof (46% ABV)
- Size: 750mL
- Aging: 12 years — 10+ years in bourbon casks, finished in Calvados du Pays d'Auge casks (which held calvados 20 years)
- Origin: Glenmorangie Distillery, Tain, Scottish Highlands
- Production: distilled in Scotland's tallest stills ("as tall as a giraffe"); Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Whisky Creation; non chill-filtered
Normandy Meets the Highlands
For its Barrel Select series, Glenmorangie's Dr Bill Lumsden has finished whisky in Malaga, Cognac, Palo Cortado, and Amontillado casks — and with the fifth release he crossed the Channel in the other direction, sourcing casks from Normandy that had spent two decades holding Calvados du Pays d'Auge. Apple brandy wood is a gentler, fruitier finishing environment than wine or sherry wood, and on Glenmorangie's famously delicate, tall-still spirit it lands as baked orchard fruit and honeyed pastry rather than power. Browse the Glenmorangie collection and the full Scotch whisky and cognac shelves at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Baked apples and pears with jasmine, narcissus, vanilla, heather honey, and sweet pastry on the nose, a slight waxiness showing the tall stills. The palate is soft and delectably rich — toffee apple, baked pears, almond marzipan, star anise, chocolate praline, lemon balm, and eucalyptus with a touch of charcoal — finishing long, lingering, and slightly cooling.
How to Enjoy
Neat, or with a little water to open the orchard-fruit notes — or over two to three large ice rocks, as the distillery suggests. It pairs beautifully with apple desserts and soft, creamy cheeses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Calvados?
Calvados is an apple (and sometimes pear) brandy from Normandy, France — these casks held Calvados du Pays d'Auge for 20 years before Glenmorangie filled them.
How old is this whisky?
12 years old — the whisky spent 10+ years in bourbon casks before its Calvados cask finish (the live product title does not carry the age statement).
Is this a limited release?
It is the fifth release in the small-batch Barrel Select series — produced in limited quantities like the rest of the series.
Orchard fruit, Highland soul — buy Glenmorangie Calvados Cask Finish Scotch Whisky online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.