Review: Glen Moray Classic Sherry Cask Finish Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

let’s begin

Perched on the banks of the River Lossie and near the historical town of Elign, Glen Moray is a distillery that takes pride in its past and the influence of the Speyside region.

First founded all the way back in 1897, Glen Moray continues to make incredible malt, consistently rolling out brilliant drams and all at fantastic prices.

They are particularly proud of their traditional way of doing things, ensuring that their Whisky is all hand made.

Those who work at Glen Moray are dedicated to creating affordable malt with the highest quality ingredients. They even take the time to act as tour guides, gladly sharing their expert knowledge with visitors.

They source their ingredients locally and use the River Lossie as their main water source.

All of this contributes to some pretty impressive malt. Their drams are matured in ex-Bourbon casks, giving them a spicy and sometimes sweet character.

This is typical of the Speyside region. Glen Moray is very connected to its Speyside roots and is very aware of calling themselves a Speyside malt.

This can be seen in the character of many of their expressions, including their most recent release, a Classic Sherry Cask Finish.

This dram begins with a nose full of dried fruit and sticky toffee sweetness. The fruit and the saccharine flavours combine perfectly, making for a well rounded opening.

The toffee becomes slightly more liquid, with vanilla caramel and rich honey coming through.

Underneath it all there are the tell tale spicy notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. These add a delicate warmth and suit the caramel sweetness brilliantly.

On the palate these develop into more wooded notes, with the spicy oak giving the vanilla some depth.

Ultimately however, this dram belongs to dried fruit and warming sherry notes.

This is a wonderfully fruity expression and lives up to all the expectations of a classic Glen Moray and more significantly, a Speysider.

Raisins, apricots, sultanas, dates and orange peel are all present. The citrus notes give off a fantastic tang to the sweeter dried fruits.

The caramel of the nose lends a thick, creamy mouth feel and coats each of the fruits in sweetness, but at the same time does not overwhelm.

There is a hint of bitter dark chocolate and coffee underneath all the fruit, and this allows the sweetness to really present itself.

The finish is strong, with a good, oaky linger. The honey is present again, and of course there is an unmistakeable presence of dried fruit.

The Glen moray Classic Sherry Cask Finish will be available in July from specialist Whisky retailers and Sainsbury’s.

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Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.