Reviewing Glen Moray Mastery Single Malt Scotch Whisky

let’s begin

Situated in the rolling hills of Elgin, in the Speyside region of Scotland, Glen Moray is a distillery that was founded in 1897 and is still thriving today.

It has a history that stretches back even further, having been originally opened as the Elgin West Brewery in 1828.

Glen Moray has gone through many changes in the time since, having been closed for numerous years, and having switched operators on a few occasions.

Today it is the hands of La Martiniquaise and recent years have seen some fantastic releases as well as a rebranding.

This rebranding saw the distillery release their Elgin Classic Collection at the same time, revealing a wide flavour profile from the distillery that includes peated drams as well as lighter bodied expressions.

More recently, they have brought out the Glen Moray Mastery, a celebration of their 120^th anniversary. It has been hand crafted by master distiller Graham Coull and is a blend of five different vintages, with only 1,000 bottles in existence.

But how does it taste?

The nose is full of soft stone fruit, apricot, toffee, red apples, vanilla, allspice, light sherry wine. The palate if full of oodles of toffee, Demerara sugar, creme brûlée, thick, does not taste the 52.3% ABV it was bottled at; smooth, silky, fantastic.

And the finish? Oh man… Long, spicy finish; cinnamon, white pepper, hints of the toffee you have to crack with a hammer, and a slight juiciness once the spices die down.

Another fantastic whisky from the guys at Glen Moray, and quite punchy on price given it is a Non Age Statement whisky at £800, but, knowing them, that represents incredible value for what is in the bottle; remember how ‘cost effective’, or ‘fairly priced’ their main range is – I picked up a 30 Year Old Glen Moray at the distillery a couple of years back for £180 if memory serves… in context the Laphroaig 30 Year Old is £799, and a 30 Year Old from The Dalmore clocks in at £2,250. Incredible.

Tags: Glen Morayglen moray masteryScotlandSpeyside

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.