Glenmorangie reimagines its sweetest whisky

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or will now be known as The Nectar, with a new recipe and an elevated age statement

Dr Bill Lumsden, Glenmorangie’s director of whisky creation, is in constant pursuit of new flavours, and sometimes that means reimagining one of the brand’s core expressions. 

Glenmorangie Nectar d’Or was previously finished in Sauternes casks and carried no age statement, while the new Glenmorangie The Nectar is finished in a variety of wine casks, and bears a 16-year-old age statement. 

“Glenmorangie The Nectar is inspired by the sweet, buttery scents that swirl around French patisseries,” Lumsden said. “By enhancing the recipe of our dessert-like whisky, we sought to make it even more sumptuously sweet and complex.”

The whisky was aged for 14 years in ex-Bourbon barrels and finished for an additional two years in a range of sweet white wine casks, including Sauternes and Monbazillac from France, Moscatel from Spain, and Tokaji from Hungary. The Nectar is bottled at 46% ABV, which is consistent with the whisky’s previous iteration, and offered at £79 (US$96).

“This single malt has an unparalleled range of sweet, nectar-like flavours,” Lumsden added. “Notes of brioche and orange syrup collide with honeycomb and spices, such as nutmeg and star anise. This is an irresistible dram for whisky lovers old and new.”

In addition to the new recipe, The Nectar sports new packaging. The bottle features wider shoulders, and a tapered neck and stopper. The carton is vividly coloured, with curving linework. 

Glenmorangie recently added to its ‘Tales of’ series with the release of A Tale of Tokyo, in September, a limited edition single malt partly matured in Japanese mizunara oak casks. 

Glenmorangie’s ‘Tale of’ series began in 2020 with A Tale of Cake – originally intended as a one-off.