Glenmorangie's reputation for cask experimentation owes a great deal to the late Dr Bill Lumsden, whose Extra Matured range first brought wood finishing into the mainstream of single malt. Lasanta — the name is Gaelic for warmth and passion — is the sherried member of that family, and has been a fixture of the core range since its rebranding in the late 2000s.
The whisky spends ten years in ex-bourbon casks before a further two years in a combination of Oloroso and Pedro Ximenez butts from Jerez. It is bottled at 43%, a step above the standard 40% and a small but noticeable concession to those who like a little more weight in the glass.
The nose carries the familiar raisin and orange peel of Oloroso, with walnut and a soft honeyed barley note from the underlying Glenmorangie spirit. The palate is sweeter than many sherried malts — the PX influence shows in sultana and demerara sugar — moving through cinnamon and a touch of dark chocolate. What is interesting is that the floral, almost peachy lift of the distillery character never quite vanishes; it threads through the sherry rather than being smothered by it.
The finish is medium-long and gently drying, with nutty sherry and toasted oak lingering on the tongue. It is not a complex whisky in the way the older Glenmorangies can be, and the 43% bottling does it more favours than the standard 40% would. But it is honestly made and well integrated, and at the price represents a sensible and characterful introduction to the house's approach to sherry maturation.
