I mentioned earlier in this Top 100 Spirits countdown that Glenmorangie was amongst the first major Scottish distillers (1960s) to use ex bourbon barrels rather than Spanish oak (sherry casks) to age their whisky. This helped to change the taste profile of Scottish Whisky in a significant manner, and today ex bourbon barrels are use extensively alongside ex sherry casks in many Scottish distilleries. Later, in 1996, Glenmorangie introduced their wood finish range which began the distillery’s experimentation with a range of new wood finishes like port wood casks and wine barriques. Again, the industry followed suit, and now wine finishes are used by many distilleries. Glenmorangie can claim credit for helping to extend the range of the Scottish whisky taste profile.
The Glenmorangie Original 10 Year Old Single Malt is the original bourbon finished Glenmorangie Single Malt which serves as the cornerstone of the entire Glenmorangie line-up. The previously highlighted Glenmorangie, The Quinta Ruban would first have been distilled and aged in the same manner as this Original, before receiving its exotic wood finish. Interestingly enough, for my palate, the ‘unfinished’ 10 Year Old Single Malt is in fact superior not only to the Quinta Ruban, but also to the other ‘finished’ Glenmorangie expressions I have tasted. Sometimes, less is more.
Here is a link to my review of the #87 Spirit in my Rum Howler 2015 Top 100 Spirits Countdown:
#87 – Glenmorangie, The Original 10 Year Old
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You may follow my Countdown list of the 100 Best Spirits here: The Rum Howler 2015 – Top 100 Spirits
The Balvenie 12 Year Old Single Barrel is one of the company’s most recent offerings to arrive in Canada, and it replaces The Balvenie 15 Year Old Single Barrel whose stocks have been dwindling such that this expression is now quite hard to find (at least where I live). The 12 Year Old (like the 15 Year Old before it) is a true Single Barrel Whisky as each bottle is drawn from a single first-fill Bourbon cask selected by The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart. These casks were chosen to represent a consistent Balvenie character; however, each barrel will have its own unique character, and therefore each bottling from each unique barrel will be slightly different from each other. (And yes, this whisky spent its entire 12 year aging life in one single first-fill barrel.)
According to the information provided me when I reviewed this spirit the first time, Century Reserve 21 Year Old, is a premium a 21-year-old single grain corn whisky blended entirely from those original Potter’s stocks. This makes Century Reserve something of a rarity upon the landscape of Canadian Whisky as one of the only single grain corn whiskies available in production. 
The Ron Bermudez Anniversario carries no age statement, however it sits atop the ladder of the Bermudez Rum line-up. Carrying heavy oak accents, it was suggested to me by the local distributor that the rum would be comparable to a fine oaky cognac, full of character and flavour.
1st Annual Edmonton Rum Festival
The Rum Howler Blog 