
April 21, 2023

Little Duos, today Glen Moray

Because they're firing on all cylinders these days and because it's a wonderfully textured yet easy malt. We've done a wee 'masterclass' (a public chat while sipping whisky, really) with Whisky Lodge founder Gabriel Tissandier at the Lyon Whisky Festival just a few weeks ago - Gabriel too is firing on all cylinders - and we tried an all-natural young Glen Moray by Lombard for Blooming Gems that has been really wonderful. But silly me, I forgot to take any notes or sample. Bah, let's just have two wee other OBs as compensation…

Bananas flambéed (Mon Tiroir A Recettes)

Glen Moray 'Rhum Agricole' (46.3%, OB, Cask Finish Project, UK exclusive, +/-2021, 3,060 bottles)

I seem to remember this was 6 yo Gen Moray (or was it 10?) further matured for 2 extra-years in rhum wood. Well, I would suppose they would have added an age statement if it were 10+2. We've tried another Glen Moray that had been finished in Depaz rhum casks earlier this month, but this very NAS had rather been finished in St James, another name that does belong to La Martiniquaise, just like Glen Moray and Depaz. This is probably very young… Colour: straw. Nose: rather a lot of dry rhum at first sniffs, with whiffs of fresh-squeezed sugarcanes, vegetable peel (asparagus for example), grass that was cut two days ago, a little burnt caramel, then rather varnishes and glues, always a good sign in my book. The malt starts to speak out after a minute, with croissants, beer and shortbread. Touches of bananas flambéed, that's the rhum retaliating. Mouth: once again it starts rather grassy and peely, but pineapples and bananas are soon to take over. Goes on with some strong honey, muscovado, zests, black tea, green tea, some ginger, amaretti… Finish: pretty long but more grassy and bitter than expected. Green peppercorn, grass, green pears… And some banana skin and zests in the aftertaste. Comments: a very good meta-spirit, sometimes even a rumsky.
SGP:561 - 84 points.

Glen Moray 2014/2022 'Oloroso Fully Matured' (60%, OB, UK exclusive, warehouse 1, 1,950 bottles)

Colour: gold. Nose: an old armagnac, some coffee liqueur, an old hunting rifle, some very old brandy de Jerez, and a huge power. It's a little hard to fathom that this is still an infant, at only seven or eight years of age. With water: coffee and chocolate, plus a drop of Ténarèze. Mouth (neat): coffee and marc or coffee and kirschwasser. This is exactly what we call 'café-schnapps' in Alsace. With water: thick and heavy, coating, ridden with Demerara molasses and heavy VDN (say the thickest Rasteaux that will keep you warm and busy for months). Finish: very long, clearly winey and molassy. Walnut wine. Comments: very heavy, touching the extremities of Whiskydom here. Not too sure this is still malt whisky, but on the other hand, many legendary old bottlings were like this. Hello, Macallan?
SGP:771 - 86 points.

Check the index of all Glen Moray we've tasted so far