Kategoriarkiv: Glen Moray

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Cabernet Cask Finish

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a mix of plums and sweet malt sitting in a quite small center. The whole is spirity and sharp at first impact. After a while the center part shifts towards black and red berries together with some baking spices. There’s a black liquorice and blueberry mix forming which is quite nice, but otherwise there’s just a vanilla note and a generic apple/pear fruitiness coming through from the background. This is a decent nose. The cover-up hides any metallic note, but it feels a bit sharp and underaged underneath.

Mouth: It starts out very mild but with a sharp lemon in the back. There are immidiate notes of malt, vanilla and spices coming through as well as a mix of some ripe and fresh fruits. There’s an undifinable note which seems to come from the casks which is rather unpleasant. There’s a nice oakiness floating around somewhere around the edges and there’s a not so nice bitterness in the back. The longer it’s kept in the mouth, the more the unpleasant notes take over.

Finish: There’s a short dip in flavour through the tranisition and it once again becomes sharp and spirity before it returns to the same flavour profile as before with ripe and fresh fruits mixed with baking spices. Everything dies down quite quickly and leaves a surprisingly nice oakiness with a hazelnuts quality to it. The late finish is certainly the best part of an otherwise bumpy journey. This is a budget whisky and it shines through throughout the journey. There are some good flavours to be found, but the cracks in the armour are apparent.

Additional information
This version of the Elgin Classic is aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and is finished in ex-Cabernet red wine casks.

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Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Peated Single Malt

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 1
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fresh fruits and peat. The first impact is a wet peatiness with notes of fresh grass and heather together with a red apple fruitiness. Behind the peat there’s a young and rather unpleasant spirit note with a cardboard feel to it. It brings notes of green apples, chalk and with time toffee builds up in the center as well as a honey sweetness. This is not a great nose. it’s young, spirit driven and a bit flat.

Mouth: At first there’s a generic butterscotch note coming through as well as a young, rather unpleasant distillate. After a short while the peatiness starts to take over the whole center of the palate. It’s a bit metallic and it’s got a mineral side to it. It’s also floral with heather as a main note. The honey sweetness and a tiny black pepper spicyness start to come through as well as sweet liquorice. There’s also a feint fresh fruitiness with apples and bitter lemon in the background.

Finish: There’s a small gap where most of the flavours dip, but when they return it’s with the minerals and a mild black pepper. After a short visit from the honey sweetness and the peat, the finish just about crashes and leaves a very fresh oak note. The peat and some liquorice return for a short background visit. It’s somewhat metallic throughout. This is a so and so budget whisky. It lacks complexity and refinement but it’s a decent quality for the money.

Additional information
This was released in 2015 and is a part of Glen Moray’s core range. It’s aged for about 7 years in american ex-bourbon barrels. The peat level is about 15-20 ppm.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Sherry Cask Finish

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is young and fruity. At first there’s a rather thin layer of dried mixed fruits and a very present ethanol cloud. There’s a vanilla background and a hint of cinnamon up front. The whole thing is very laid back and nothing pops from the glass. This is a very simple and thin nose. It’s not offensive in any way, but it comes through as a bit boring.

Mouth: It starts out with baked red apples and vanilla up front. It feels richer than what the nose offered. A spicy note builds up and a sulfury gritty note comes through from behind. After a second or two the dried fruits return and replaces the apples. The cinnamon note is still there and it still feels young and spirity. There’s a bitter oakiness coming through in the back and on the sides which isn’t all that nice.

Finish: It starts out a bit spicy and when the initial ethanol cloud settles down there’s a big blur of everything coming through in the center. There’s mixed dried fruits, a lemon note, vanilla and a bitter not so pleasant oakiness all rolled up in a small ball. It takes a while before everything separates and leaves room for the sulfury note and the bitter oak. There is a sort of weird savory note popping up in the back as well. The finish is longer than expected but that is not a very good thing. This is a so and so whisky with both good and bad sides.

Additional information
This version of the Elgin Classic is aged in american ex-bourbon oak barrels and is finished in ex-Oloroso sherry casks.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 2/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there are apples and pears with a honey and vanilla sweetness on top. The fruitiness is the main focal point though. There’s an ethanol cloud sitting on top which isn’t especially flattering. After some time in the glass it becomes a bit maltier and the fruitiness becomes less bright. This is very simple with an easily approachable nose. It’s nice enough, but it’s not an explorer’s whisky.

Mouth: It starts out with a generic sweetness and a somewhat unpleasant distillate. It’s very mild, bordering to flat. After a second or two the fruitiness and vanilla start to come through as well as a bitterness in the background. It’s not an especially nice bitterness and it seems to be connected to the oak notes. Over time the bitterness becomes very pronounced and takes over everything.

Finish: It starts out as mild as before and everything sort of dies except for the vanilla and the bitterness. The oakiness arrives within the bitter notes and the ethanol cloud makes itself known once again. When the oakiness finally takes over it’s almost a relief. It’s a nice enough oak which lacks some character. This is not a very good whisky. The nose is by far the best thing about it.

Additional information
This is the entry level in Glen Moray’s core range. It’s aged about 7 years in american ex-bourbon oak barrels.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Chardonnay Cask Finish

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and sour. At first there’s a layer of malt and honey up front and a candy sourness in the back. The sweet front slowly evolves into a butterscotch note, while the sour background eventually turns more into a green fruit sourness, like sour green apples, but the candy-esque feel to it remains. There is a sprinkle of dust and just a hint of liquorice coming through near the edges of the glass. This is a very nice and easy approachable nose.

Mouth: It starts out a little less sweet than on the nose but still has honey and malt up front. A tiny spicyness slowly buildsup but never really amounts to anything. There’s vanilla and a sour note, but the sourness is slightly different in taste and it’s somewhat complex. A thin line of something that isn’t so pleasant accompanies the sourness. There are grapes and the candy notes are still in there and with time it comes floral. In the background a metallic note is coating the back of the mouth.

Finish: A quick visit from the sweetness pass by and then it becomes very sour. It’s sour green apples and grapes. There’s a lemon note as well and it’s attached to the metallic note in the back which lingers all the way through the finish. It’s an ethanol driven finish and the oakiness fight to come through. It’s a dry oakiness and it somewhat lacks in character, but it’s not bad at all. The metallic note stays long after everything else dies down. This is a decent whisky, but the Chardonnay finish isn’t the best companion to this single malt.

Additional information
This expression has been double matured, first in ex-bourbon american oak barrels for an unknown period, then finished for 8 months in Chardonnay casks. This version of the Elgin Classic was released in January 2016.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray 12 YO – Elgin Heritage

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a honey sweetness and a maltiness on top and some fresh fruits in the back. There’s a lemon freshness surrounding everything and when the fruits start to move forward they reveal both oranges and apples. There’s a sprinkle of cinnamon and a vanilla creaminess appearing after a while. This is very pleasant and easy to nose.

Mouth: It starts out sweet and slightly dusty. A mix of honey, vanilla and malt creates a thick top layer. It’s a dense character, which contrasts the fresher aromas on the nose. The fruitiness is now leaning towards orange peel with the bitterness intertwined with both peel and the oak, which is coming through from behind. The cinnamon is still in there givning the whole a desserty overtone.

Finish: It starts out with a quick visit from a mild minty cloud and then returns to being sweet and malty with an orange peel fruitiness. It’s once again a bit more fresh and some yellow juicy pears appear together with the citrus fruits just before the oakiness arrive. It’s a nice enough oakiness with a savory note coming along for the ride. The oakiness doesn’t stay for too long and the late finish is just orange peel and a sprinkle of dust. This is a good whisky without any bells and whistles. You get what you see; A nice 12 YO speysider.

Additional information
This is the entry level expression in Glen Moray’s Elgin Heritage series. It’s matured for the full period in american ex-bourbon barrels.

Glen Moray, Speyside

Glen Moray Elgin Classic – Port Cask Finish

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ABV: 40 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 3/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is sweet and fruity. At first there’s a layer of vanilla covering everything up. After a while there’s a soft core of berries and honey appearing. It’s a bit young and spirity, but the whole thing is very laid back. There’s a hint of cinnamon and it evolves towards being floral and a bit perfumey. This is a bit too mild and reclusive on the nose.

Mouth: It starts out with quite a hefty flavour rush compared to the nose. It’s liqeuer-soaked raisins, vanilla cream and black coffee. There’s hops and malt in a surrounding layer and the whole thing feels a bit ”hot”. The cinnamon is still in there. There is a touch of honey but the sweetness mainly comes from the port finish. It feels somewhat undecisive on what to bring to the table.

Finish: A spicy flare comes and goes before it returns to the sweetness and malt. There is a beer quality to the main flavour and it’s accompanied by oak and a fruity, floral aura. It doesn’t take very long for it to become oaky. It’s a nice oakiness with a slightly nutty quality to it. The black coffee note is still in there as well as the vanilla. This is a nice whisky with a bit of blemishes here and there.

Additional information
This expression was released in 2014. It’s first aged in american ex-bourbon barrels and then finished for 8 months in ex-Tawny Port casks before being bottled. It’s aged for 7-8 years.