Three little Glen Moray


September 4, 2024

Three little Glen Moray (two with wine)

There's quite a lot of Glen Moray at the independent bottlers, which can only be excellent for the 'brand', especially as they're generally very good. There's also a lot of finishes across the board, but that's the fate of many distilleries these days. I know we're repeating ourselves a bit.

Glen Moray 13 yo 2010/2024 (56%, Dràm Mor, first fill Tokaji finish, cask #800597, 229 bottles)

Yes, I know we’ve said some rather dreadful things about Tokaji cask finishes before, but then again, hope is an essential part of whisky, isn't it? Colour: gold. Nose: a finishing done with a bit of tact, it seems—thankfully, not too much pineapple, sultanas, or... Tokaji. Instead, we’ve got orange blossom, candles, some granola, and even a hint of Fruit Loops. With water: moving towards peanut and sunflower oils, as well as some grist. Good news all around. Mouth (neat): the Tokaji makes a more pronounced appearance here. Grape skin, syrups, pineapple liqueur, a touch of rose jelly, tinned lychees, white clover honey, and pink peppercorns... But it’s not the most extroverted of drams. With water: yes, it softens up, but without becoming vulgar. Rose macarons, more orange blossom, and some white table grapes... Finish: of medium length, well-balanced, and still quite fruity. Not too much ‘eszencia,’ though I doubt they used an eszencia cask anyway. Some orange juice in the aftertaste. Comments: phew, well done Dràm Mor.
SGP:641 - 83 points.

Glen Moray 11 yo 2012/2023 (58.8%, OB, Warehouse 1, peated rioja cask finish)

If I understand correctly, Warehouse #1 is where they store the really strange casks. Red Rioja and peat, sounds like mustard and coffee to me, and to be quite honest, that combination is very, very alarming. Did they do this on purpose, or is it the result of some rogue ERP algorithm? Colour: old gold. Nose: very good news, the peat takes charge, and the Tempranillo seems to be kept in check. A few smoked almonds, smoked ham, cigar ash, and a hint of curry... So far, we're holding on. With water: slightly medicinal and not too overrun with red fruits. The Rioja still holds its ground and remains fairly discreet, phew. Mouth (neat): things get a bit more improbable here, with those ultra-ripe strawberries and all that green pepper now challenging a slightly harsh peat. It’s quite strange. With water: a fair amount of bay leaves, chlorophyll, very ripe cherries, and peach leaves as herbal tea… Not off-putting at all, just rather adventurous. Finish: quite long, peppery. Strawberries with pepper and a hint of rubber. Comments: it’s much better than the absolute disaster we expected, but good luck recognising the lovely Glen Moray in this context.
SGP:563 - 80 points.

Glen Moray 1988/2021 (53.7%, Malts of Scotland, Rare Casks, bourbon hogshead, cask #MoS 21048, 98 bottles)

A small batch, but for some reason, it feels just right… Wasn’t Stuart Thomson the distillery manager back in 1988? Colour: straw. Nose: we’ve tasted a few MoS bottlings from this Rare Casks range, and it seems they share a certain elegance, a kind of old-fashioned restraint, if you will. Overripe apples, mirabelles, fresh pollen, fresh vanilla, followed by clafoutis, nougat, and a large plum tarte dusted with ground cinnamon. That’s quite something special. With water: mirabelle jam takes control. Mouth (neat): it kicks off straight away with that plum tarte, but also with apple brandy, then we find stewed rhubarb mixed with honey and orange juice. Well, something along those lines, and it’s very lovely. With water: the very ripe mirabelles persist. A touch of oak, very well-behaved. Finish: medium length, leaning more towards herbal teas, chamomile, and indeed, cinnamon. Comments: another old MoS Rare Cask with an almost retro refinement, featuring some of the most delicate and discreet oak. Superb, but beware, it goes down rather easily.
SGP:551 - 90 points.

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