If you can remember last year you will remember I did a few Glen Moray’s for their Tweet Tasting Event. I think I mentioned that the original plan was to try the new 25 year old. The timing of this didn’t work out and we tried the 21 year old instead. None of that was a problem of course because getting to try any whisky is always a privilege. Since then though I have managed to try some so I can now write my thoughts on this one as well.

The Distillery

The Glen Moray distillery is in the village of Elgin which is near the coast of Lossiemouth and located on the road between Inverness and Aberdeen.

Having been around since 1897 as a product of the whisky boom it is not the first alcohol production facility in the area. Originally the site was used for the production of beer with the water source Riber Lossie being the attraction.

The distillery has been in almost constant production since 1923 and has used four stills since 1958. Like so many distilleries they lost their own malting facilities in the late 1970’s to cut costs and take advantage of the economies of scale developing with so many distilleries under common parent ownership.

The Dram

A 1994 vintage this is the second 25 year old finished in Portwood from recent times. Bottled at 43% ABV the bottles are available complete with wooden box for around £170. I think the previous version from quite a number of years ago was available at £150 so an inflationary rise in price but still (possibly) the cheapest Scotch Single Malt from an official range at 25 years stated age?

This release is so new in fact that it doesn’t appear on the official distillery website or store. The whisky though spent a couple of years finishing in portwood casks after the initial long ex-bourbon maturation. I remember Greame the previous distillery manager mentioning that the older the whisky is the longer the “finishing” period in another wood has to be to get an integrated layer of flavour from the new wood. Something which I wouldn’t have gotten right in any pub quiz for sure.

Tasting Notes

Colour –  Golden

Nose – great fruity nose with a mix of oak spice and woody notes mixed with plump fruit from the port cask

Palate – Texture is silky with a herbal development and another swirl of oak tannins and sap. Not totally wood dominated though there is still hints of the apples and pears from the underlying spirit

Finish – Long spicy finish but again that herbal undertone persists.

Final Thoughts

Glen Moray are doing a lot of good things at the moment. They understand their market segment well and are playing to the gallery in producing a good large range of well priced but tasty whiskies. Glen Moray 25 will be one of the harder bottles to find but if you do and are in the market for something between £150-£200 this is a sure bet.