Glen Moray
- OWNER: LA MARTINIQUAISE
- FOUNDED: 1897
- REGION: SPEYSIDE
- PRONUNCIATION: Glen MURR-ay
Located on the western outskirts of Elgin, along the River Lossie, Glen Moray is significantly more pleasant an institution than what came before it, long ago: the city gallows. The distillery was long in the control of The Glenmorangie Company, which sold it in 2006 to the French company La Martiniquaise, who wanted its malt to go into its Label 5 and Glen Turner blends. The French haven’t let the single malt go to seed, either: Glen Moray has a widening range of expressions, and was an early leader in experimenting with wine-cask finishes. The distillery recently completed a massive expansion, nearly doubling its capacity from 3.3 million liters a year to 6 million.
Glen Moray
Elgin Classic
Aged in “mostly” first-fill ex-bourbon casks for about seven years.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Dripping with honey, pear, vanilla, green apple, banana, and drawn butter. Don’t even think of adding water.
- PALATE Sweet up front, with honey, melon, and citrus, then becomes a bit spicy and bitter at the mid-palate; the finish is quick, with lemon-peel bitterness.
- GENERAL You won’t find a single malt much cheaper than this—and it says a lot about the category that, for the price, it’s pretty good: smooth and easy to drink, with a lovely nose. The palate doesn’t deliver much, though.
Chardonnay Cask Finish
One of the few single malts in wide circulation to spend time in a white wine barrel.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE 10 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE A bit like a sherry finish at first, with raisins and caramel, but it moves into honey and rich floral notes, as well as a sharp minerality.
- PALATE All the basics: caramel, honey, dried fruits, vanilla, and a slight nuttiness; the finish is a bit tannic, with a lingering note of caramel chews.
- GENERAL The chardonnay influence is more noticeable on the nose than the palate; like the basic Elgin Classic, the latter is a bit disappointing.
Glen Moray
Port Cask Finish
The Elgin Classic spends an additional eight months in tawny port barrels.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Surprisingly crisp and clean, like a grappa; eventually, notes of grape bubblegum, pears, vanilla custard, straw, and minerality emerge.
- PALATE A thin mouthfeel, with honey, pear, grappa, and Juicy Fruit gum; the finish is long and slightly bitter, like black tea.
- GENERAL This one’s all about bubblegum, and not in an unpleasant way. But “port” implies a thicker, more robust finishing influence than this whisky delivers.
Elgin Classic Peated
A relatively recent addition to Glen Moray’s Classic line, it’s evidence that the distillery isn’t content simply to produce low-cost whisky—it wants to innovate, even at the lower price points.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Soft and mossy, with melon, apricot, and a touch of rye bread; adding water brings out chocolate and mint.
- PALATE Apricots and honey, with a spicy mid-palate; water brings out earthy and chocolate notes. The finish is long and full of chocolate.
- GENERAL Lighter and softer than the typical Islay whisky, this is a good introduction to the peated style. There’s enough of the Speyside honey to balance out the smoke.
Glen Moray
Sherry Cask Finish
Like the other finished versions of the Elgin Classic, this one has spent about seven years aging and then about eight months in Oloroso sherry casks.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE No age statement
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Green apples, toffee, vanilla, unripe pear, cinnamon, and lilacs; there’s a bracing minerality running beneath it. Water adds a hit of white pepper.
- PALATE A moderately thick mouthfeel, with notes of prune juice, cocoa powder, port, and mid-palate Asian spices; water calls forth more fruit and winey notes. The finish is spicy—think wasabi—with hints of chocolate powder.
- GENERAL A good value for the price, and a solid introduction to the sherried scotch category.
Aged 12 Years
Aged in ex-bourbon casks.
- PRICE $ · RATING
- AGE 12 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Rich pear, roses, Nilla Wafers, flannel sheets, and a slight tropical fruit note.
- PALATE Vanilla pudding, a bit of cinnamon, and a kiss of citrus, with a quick, dry, slightly spicy finish.
- GENERAL A pleasing, vanilla-inflected nose, but the palate can’t match. Still, try it as a mixer, or as a light summer dram.
Glen Moray
Aged 16 Years
Aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry barrels.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 16 years old
- ALC/VOL 40%
- NOSE Peony, cooking oil, fruit paste, and an ever-so-slight sherry note.
- PALATE Thin, with honey, Fig Newton, toffee, and an oaky bitterness at the mid-palate; water brings out roasted malt. The finish is quick and hoppy, like a light pilsner.
- GENERAL Disappointing for a sixteen year old; it would be better at a higher proof.
Sherry Cask Finish
Aged 18 Years
An eighteen-year-old, higher-proof version of Glen Moray’s standard Elgin Classic, aged in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels.
- PRICE $$ · RATING
- AGE 18 years old
- ALC/VOL 47.2%
- NOSE Honey, halva, fir, roasted peanuts, blackberries, slate, hay, and a whiff of smoke at the back; it grows less sweet and more floral with water.
- PALATE Round and buttery on the tongue, it opens with honey and vanilla, then builds to a spicy berry character. It loses its sweetness with water on the palate, though berries and figs remain. The finish is medium in length, with dried fruit and oak spice notes.
- GENERAL Glen Moray is best known for its low-priced Elgin Classic series, but its older whiskies are well worth the extra coin. You won’t find another eighteen year old for this price, and certainly not one this good.