A little bag of indie Glen Moray


February 6, 2024

A little bag of indie Glen Moray

Glen Moray is another distillery that I like to taste often. There is never any thunderous marketing, the distillate is elegant and extremely balanced, there are numerous finishings but they're never presented as the innovation of the century... In short, a highly respectable and, above all, friendly malt. And each time, I think of Stuart Thompson who managed the distillery before relaunching Ardbeg, at the time of Glenmorangie plc.

Glen Moray 12 yo 2011/2023 (52.5%, Dalgety, refill hogshead, cask # #1610000001-02)

A range from Hannah Whisky Merchants. A simple refill hogshead such as this one should be perfect. Colour: white wine. Nose: one is reminded of icing sugar, lime zest, broken tree branches, cactus, green apple... All of this, we like. With water: damp chalk and raw wool stand out, along with a bit of porridge, grist, damp peat with also a hint of eucalyptus... Nothing to fault, it's really perfect, of great purity. Mouth (neat): very citrusy and on green apple, extremely lively, with a bit of green pepper and a hint of fruit candy, like lemon and grapefruit. Perfect tension, very refreshing. With water: and there you have it, the texture thickens, there's limoncello, pink pepper, crème de menthe, anise, and a tiny touch of chilli. Finish: long, fresh, lemony, and minty. Comments: when people speak of desert island drams they mention old Lagavulins or Laphroaigs from the 1960s. In reality, it's this kind of Glen Moray that would be more appropriate. But in a double-magnum.
SGP:551 - 87 points.

Let's try a bourbon barrel...

Glen Moray 14 yo 2007/2021 (55.6%, Fruitful Spirits, bourbon barrel, cask #6223, 192 bottles)

Colour: white wine. Nose: it's really quite interesting to note the impact of a barrel here, that is to say a bit more vanilla and coconut, but all with elegance. In short, if one wanted to be lazy, one might say it's the 2011 with vanilla and coconut, plus a touch of passion fruit. That's quite nice too. With water: it comes much closer to the excellent 2011, with perhaps something a little more medicinal. New bandages, maybe. Mouth (neat): ultra-sharp, almost too aggressive despite an alcohol content that's not that high. It's a bit challenging but we love this style, it may require a bit of analysis (not of the whisky, of myself). With water: again the two converge, this one just has more pepper, this time. It's a bit more brutal. Finish: long, herbal, a bit more robust. One would almost say that this one is the youngest. Comments: it's just very good. There are many young Speysides that are excellent in this state, but one also understands that there may not be a market for millions of barrels of this fresh and natural style.
SGP:561 - 86 points.

Glen Moray 14 yo 2007/2022 (58.4%, Blackadder Raw Cask for HNWS Taiwan, bourbon barrel, cask #5693, 201 bottles)

This time, we might be even quicker, as in theory we are going to be very close to the previous one. Colour: gold. Nose: more active cask impact, vanilla, banana, shredded coconut, but also lemon balm and camphor. All this works extremely well, even if there's this impression of "sniffing the board". With water: a lot of oolong tea... from Taiwan! How about that... Mouth (neat): perfect lemon, fresh grass, chalky, green apple. Taut as a bowstring. With water: masterful. Oolong with lemon (apologies to our Taiwanese friends) and just a little agave syrup. Finish: very long, ultra-precise, lemony. A bit of turmeric and ginger in the end – apparently, this baby should be good for our health. I must stop with these jokes, I'll end up in jail. Comments: here, I even forgot to mention Black Adder, which really speaks volumes.
SGP:561 - 88 points.

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