Indiana Jones and the Secret Giraffe


October 13, 2026

Indiana Jones and the Secret Giraffe
(Or two wee Glenmorangies and some red wine)

No shame, really. I mean, us. So, there’s this fairly recent Glenmorangie NAS endorsed by Harrison Ford, whose rather engaging face was plastered all over London and the airports, and a mysterious new blended malt from Murray McDavid going by the charming name of ‘Girafe Chic’. The giraffe is, of course, a nod to the famously tall, slender stills at the celebrated Tain distillery.

Glenmorangie ‘Harrison Ford’ (46.5%, OB, bourbon and Portuguese red wine, +/-2026)

We should remember that Glenmorangie and their ever-dashing master blender were among the pioneers of finishing in still wine (unfortified) casks, with Margaux versions appearing as early as 2006 (more on that below). Colour: pale gold. Nose: nothing remotely winey in the wrong sense, quite the opposite, although the casks had been toasted. Buttercream, mashed potatoes with lashings of butter (Robuchon-style, 50% potato, 50% butter), then green fruits, gooseberries, and finally, indeed, red berries, leaning towards blackcurrants, including their buds. Perhaps a little mild curry paste too, probably courtesy of the oak. Mouth: definitely more on red wine, but without overdoing it, with even little hints of grape pips and stalks, followed by touches of green walnut and cinnamon. It’s pleasant, although rather less soft, creamy and cakey than some of the other young Glenmorangies we enjoy. Finish: medium in length, with no major changes until the aftertaste, where yellow fruits appear, especially some welcome apricots. Comments: a lovely bottling, quite different from the rest of the range. We like it, and rest assured, we shall even carefully refrain from making any cheap film jokes. The headline above was already uncalled for, we agree. Well, we might add that Mr Ford is rather ‘no age statement’ himself.
SGP:541 - 83 points.

La Girafe Chic 28 yo 1997/2026 (52.9%, Murray McDavid, Mission Gold, Margaux + PX sherry, 573 bottles)

Isn’t it amusing that they chose Margaux rather than a wine from the Rhône valley, more precisely from the area around Tain. Tain l’Hermitage, of course… The distillery itself actually released a 1975 ‘Tain L’Hermitage’ (from Chapoutier) in 2003. And Margaux versions too, of course. Anyway, MMcD previously bottled a rather gingery 25-year-old ‘Girafe Chic’, but I don’t think that one had seen any PX. Let’s see whether the latter has rounded things off… Colour: full gold. Nose: we’re not huge fans of sweet PX (seco, on the other hand, absolutely), but it seems to work very well here, with some lovely raisins and a surprisingly fresh spicy side. Bay leaves, seaweed, menthol tobacco, barely chewed liquorice root… With water: tobacco, a little gunpowder, dark chocolate, mocha, and slightly burnt raisins. Our favourites. Then a little blackberry jam, which we love with caramel. Mouth (neat): I really like this avalanche of walnut liqueur, currants and sultanas, liquorice, pepper and sweet paprika, followed by touches of candied cherry. That must be the Margaux… With water: not much further development, but never mind, it’s all rather splendid. Finish: medium in length, with spices, peppers and buds. A more peppery aftertaste. Comments: I think the PX deserves a round of applause here. I like this 28 much better than the 25 from two or three years ago.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Check the index of all Glenmorangie we've tasted