Tastes
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Glen Moray 8 year (2015/2024) peated cognac cask
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 11, 2024 (edited May 12, 2024)Nose: Warming, soft sweet peat smoke, red fruits, vanilla, a little brine. Palate: An instant peat smoke hit which is much more intense and angular than the nose would suggest. Sour brine, earth, bitter tobacco. Water does not improve the palate, merely bringing out sour plastic notes. Finish: Medium/Long. Smoky and earthy with white orchard fruit flavours that trail into a sour aftertaste. A hand-drawn distillery exclusive that is part of Glen Moray’s “Private Cask Collection”, in this case taken from ex-cognac cask #2295 which had been filled with peated new make. I could nose this whisky all day but it falls flat on its face when you get to the palate. When I nosed the two cask-strength offerings that were available when I visited Glen Moray this one immediately captured my attention and overshadowed the port cask expression. However once both had been tasted it was clear to me which was the superior dram, and adding water definitely confirmed that assessment. I tried it at several dilutions and it was only when heavily watered (I’d guess to around 25%abv) that it became palatable, but even then it’s not something I would buy or recommend. Tasted at the distillery. “Average” : 75/100 (2.5 stars)60.0 GBP per Bottle -
Glen Moray 9 year (2014/2023) Port Cask Finish
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 11, 2024 (edited May 12, 2024)Nose: Big fruity nose full of red berries and stewed prunes. There is a touch of menthol and a lot of leafy, earthy tobacco, leather and lashings of dark chocolate sauce. You often hear “chocolate” used as a descriptor but this whisky has that aroma in spades. Palate: The neat palate is immediately sweet and fruity, followed by a lot of mouth-watering alcohol. Some sour walnuts, sour cherries, black currants and chewing tobacco. Water substantially softens and sweetens the palate and is thoroughly recommended. Finish: Medium/Long: Christmas cake fruits and spices with dark chocolate. Water does not spoil the length but does make the finish softer. A hand-drawn distillery exclusive that is part of Glen Moray’s “Private Cask Collection”, in this case taken from a port cask (almost certainly a pipe) #6025486. A big, bold and demonstrative whisky that only comes into its best with a generous dash of water. The only downside is that while this greatly improves the palate it does kill the nose, which is a shame. I’m giving this the highest rating I’ve yet awarded to a Glen Moray whisky. They need to start issuing cask-strength, single cask expressions as a regular thing. Tasted at the distillery. “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)60.0 GBP per Bottle -
Glen Moray 21 year Madeira Finish
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 11, 2024 (edited May 12, 2024)Nose: Old oak, leather, full-bodied fortified wine. Lemon zest, barley sugar. There is both a light and dark side to this nose. Water improves it by adding structure and body. Palate: Spicy and semi-sweet arrival with lots of the wine influence. Raisins and walnuts in the development, turning gradually sweeter. Leafy and earthy with a little tobacco. The texture is OK. When watered the palate develops balancing sweetness which is very welcome. Finish: Medium. Leather and tobacco with slightly bitter citrus. Again the finish is sweetened and lengthened by dilution. The more usually encountered Glen Moray 21 has a port cask finish. This expression finished in Madeira casks is only allocated to the Chinese market, but it can also be tasted at the distillery. It’s good but not magnificent. A straightforward, capable whisky that is considerably improved by the addition of a teaspoon of water. When tasted neat I was going to give this 3.5 at best but with water it approaches 4 stars … but just misses. Tasted at the distillery. “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)170.0 GBP per Bottle -
The Station Master's Tipple
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 11, 2024 (edited May 12, 2024)Nose: Flowers, fresh cut grass, malt, honey, butter, beeswax, vanilla, vanilla, vanilla, vanilla, vanilla, vanilla … a big, unctious, sweet nose. Palate: Sweet arrival with a huge cereal flavour. It’s like a bowl of porridge with lashings of honey topped with vanilla custard. There is also a crisp ale-like note and some sweet wood. The texture is very rich and creamy. There is no hint whatsoever of anything bitter, sour or tannic. Finish: Medium/short. Sweet cereal. A very simple malt with few characteristics or dimensions, but it is enormously easy to drink. A true session whisky. This is sourced from an undisclosed Speyside distillery and bottled for the Keith and Dufftown Railway by Duncan Taylor for sale on their trains. I do know which distillery makes it but it’s almost a caricature of their typical style. It is very popular and not like most Scottish single malts. It is more like an Irish pot-still whisky matured in virgin American oak, and it reminds me of Paddy Irish Whiskey. For the price this is a good everyday dram that you can quaff neat or with water, or use for mixing without guilt. Tasted on the Keith and Dufftown Railway “Dram Tram” “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars) -
Nose: Sweet, rounded smoke, reminiscent of Caol Ila but without the maritime notes. Honey, toffee apple, and something citrus but not quite lemon - lemongrass maybe? Palate: Sweet smokey arrival, light peat on the palate with a trace of fruitiness (sultanas?), honey and vanilla. The texture is good. Finish: Medium. Smoke, salted caramel. The length is entirely due to the smoke. Otherwise it would be quite short. A very easy drinking smoky whisky with no sour or rubbery notes at all. The palate is a little one dimensional but perfectly acceptable. I did not notice anything much in the way of rum influence other than some honey and caramel notes, and it was refreshing to come across a subtle rum cask whisky. I’m not sure how big a role the smoke plays in modulating the rum. I admit I approached this with suspicion for some reason, being prepared to hate it, but I found myself liking it after all. Tasted on the Keith and Dufftown Railway “Dram Tram”, Sunday 5th May 2024. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)
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Glen Moray 15 Homecoming Edition
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 7, 2024 (edited May 8, 2024)Nose: Surprisingly light orange, apple and cereal with fragrant floral notes. Water makes no difference. Palate: Sweet, crisp arrival with toasted marshmallow and digestive biscuits. The development comes quickly and brings spicy, sharp notes of ginger and cinnamon. The texture is good but not heavy. Water makes it more creamy and softens the palate overall. Finish: Medium/Short. Brisk, sharp, spiced vanilla and cereal. This is a limited edition of the 15 year old that was matured exclusively in refill sherry casks and released as a distillery exclusive run of 1,000 bottles. It was created to commemorate the opening of Edinburgh Rugby’s DAM Health Stadium. Agreeable when neat, water does not change the nose but softens the palate, however it is not required. It’s a competent single malt and although there’s nothing about it that is objectively above average I’m giving it 3 stars as less than that seems subjectively wrong. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars) -
Glen Moray Phoenix Rising
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 7, 2024 (edited May 8, 2024)Nose: Sandalwood, vanilla, caramel, coconut. Palate: Sweet arrival with mild malt, cereal and orchard fruit. Some Demerara sugar and light pepper as it develops. The texture is good. Finish: Medium. Fruity and lightly spicy, sweet aftertaste. A more than acceptable but straightforward malt from this dependable distillery. Phoenix Rising is matured in refill bourbon before receiving a finish in charred virgin oak casks, which is a first for Glen Moray. It is a NAS with no clue as to its age but I’d guess it is around 6 or 7 years old, and very likely a blending of multiple ages and stages of maturation. It is an uncomplicated malt but what it lacks in complexity is made up for by the verve and quality of its profile. It is, simply, well made whisky for general consumption and the price is very reasonable. Water does it no favours, however. It is bottled at minimum legal strength and falls apart with more than a couple of drops. Over dilution kills the nose stone dead and brings out sourness so I’d recommend taking this one neat. Tasted at the distillery. “Above Average” : 81/100 (3 stars) -
Linkwood 13 year 2010 bourbon cask
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 6, 2024 (edited May 7, 2024)Nose: Vanilla, honey, spring flowers, fresh bread, tropical fruit, barley, fresh earth and leather. Adding water does little to the nose. Palate: Barley sugar, orange oil, some slightly bitter honey (or maybe it’s thin molasses?), sourdough bread. With water a lot of bready ale-like notes emerge along with some ginger and clove spices. The mid palate gains depth with malt extract being evident and a sort of grippy orange flavour. The texture is creamy. Finish: Medium. Cereal and malt trailing to a gritty semi-sweet finale. A very enjoyable teenage Linkwood, just a year older than the OB 12 year old and very much in the same ballpark, just more intense and carrying more alcohol. The 12 year old’s bossy older brother. The longer this sat and opened in the glass the better it became, and a small dash of water opened it perfectly. This was a distillery-only dram drawn from a cask of Linkwood matured at Cardhu distillery (and supplied to Linkwood in an unlabelled Cardhu bottle!). “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars) -
Linkwood 18 year 2005 refill sherry wood
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed May 6, 2024 (edited May 7, 2024)Nose: Grass, vanilla, lime, honey, lots of stewed black tea. With water there is diluted honey and tropical fruit salad from a tin. Palate: Very grassy and herbal, pine resin, honey-water, bitter orange marmalade, and with water there is some oak tannin and tropical fruit. The texture is good but not remarkable. Finish: Medium. Honey, fruit and vanilla. A slightly off-kilter malt for me, but it was well-liked at the tasting. It was very tight when neat but just a drop of water seemed to over-dilute it. Maybe it needed a longer time to recompose than I could give it but I thought the distillate and the wood were fighting and there was definitely a sour note that became bitter and intrusive with water. At the same time there was little indication of sherry influence. Still, a nice Linkwood, but certainly not the best I’ve had and frankly not up to the quality level of the OB Flora and Fauna 12 year old. Not available for sale, this was a distillery exclusive tasting. “Above Average” : 82/100 (3.25 stars) -
Nose: Cereal, banana, slightly beer-like but delicately floral (distant rose and jonquil). Palate: Semi-sweet, malty, oily and lip-puckering at cask strength but without any sulphurous flavours. Sweeter, softer and oilier when diluted. Finish: Medium. Cereal fading to malt. Not as sweet as some other Scottish new-make I have tasted and with a slightly ale-like flavour. Tasted at cask-filling strength this was a little “hard” but when reduced it gained softness. Like all barley spirit it reminds me of genever, but not one I would particularly want to enjoy neat. The fragrant notes on the nose of this new-make are quintessentially Glenfarclas and they show up in every expression, even the very old caskings. I rate new-make spirit according to how well I think it works as a mixing base, which seems the only valid way to me. “Good” : 83/100 (3.5 stars)
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