Douglas McGibbon Glen Moray Tasting Notes

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glen Moray 2000 (11 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/Code: PRV0732/ DMG7603

Dist Mar 2000 Btl: Oct 2011/ Tasted: Nov 2011

A fresh nose of high toned citrus, barley and aniseed along with a musky-floral note. Quite elegant

The palate opens with icing sugar coated barley but aside from that it is pretty straightforward with hints of citrus and grass. Quite pleasant in its simplicity with a herbally, spicy finish.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glen Moray 1999 (12 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV0801/ DMG6816

Dist: Oct 1999 Btl: Sept 2012/ Tasted Oct 2012

The nose is quite honeyed and earthy with a touch of rose petal marc, dusty (grubby) spice and surprisingly a touch of peat.

The palate is light and slightly toffee’d with vanilla, spice and earth. It opens out rather pleasantly to show a rather honeyed and golden syrup middle, flecked with barley. Good length with a touch of sweet violet and some (grubby) spice.

Douglas McGibbon Provenance Glen Moray 2002 (12 year old) 46%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: PRV1125/ DMG10578

Dist: Aug 2002 Btl: Dec 2014/ Tasted: Jan 2015

A little gristy with sugar coated barley but wonderfully fresh and citric. Aromatic and fragrant with juicy white notes.

Soft and rounded, opening with a little toffee, followed by barley and light spices. Fills out well on the middle as the honey arrives. Lovely length with a cleansing citrus, salt and spice finish.

Murray McDavid Glen Moray Tasting Notes

Murray McDavid Glen Moray 1992 (12 year old) 46%

Refill Sherry/ Dist: 1992 Btl: 2004/ Tasted: Mar 2005

Clean, aromatic and youthful with all that bourbon cask elegance. White fruit, nuts, a suggestion of wine, and a touch of salt. Dry on the palate with an initial sweetness. Pure tangy white fruit, slightly nutty, sugar snap peas and a fleeting hint of gardens. Nice length leaving a dry, nutty finish.

Murray McDavid Glen Moray 1993 (13 Year old) 46%

Bourbon – Madeira/Dist: 1992 Btl: 2005/ Tasted: Dec 2006

Deep, rich and earthy aromas with Madeira (winey berry) laced tangerine fruit and a background of creamy American oak and some costal notes.

Quite heavy on the Madeira finish on the palate with plenty of shortcake biscuit and drying spices. Slightly floral but theMadeirasweetness is the dominant force here. Quite a dry, tannic finish.

House of Macduff Glen Moray Tasting Notes

House of Macduff ‘The Golden Cask’ Glen Moray 1990 (13 year old) 62.1%

Cask 4562/ Dist: 1990 Btl: 2003/ Tasted: Dec 2003

Quite a lively, soft, earthy, summery apricot fruit scented bouquet. Lots of earthiness, a touch waxy and subtle Bourbon oak (much less than on the previous bottling).

Luxuriously smooth and complex on the palate, full of rich apricot fruit, earth, cereal, fudge and restrained Bourbon oak. Adding a touch of water reveals hidden dimensions to this glorious malt, emphasising its apricot and yellow fruit and brining out the most glorious perfume hints on the nose. I loved the earlier bottling of this malt, but this is even better.

House of Macduff ‘The Golden Cask’ Glen Moray 1990 (16 year old) 61.3%

Dist: 1990 Btl: 2006/ Tasted: July 2007

Light, estery, prikly nose. Quite spirity with white liquorice, botanicals and a touch of vanilla. The palate is light and soft with vanilla oak, apricot, orange and grassy herbaceous notes. The alcohol dominates the palate and it finishes with some gin-like botanicals.

Water only emphasises the botanicals and the cask (vanilla/ toffee) on the nose. The palate is pleasant if not stunning with again the oak being emphasised.

Duncan Taylor Glen Moray Tasting Notes

Duncan Taylor Rare Auld Glen Moray 1973 (36 year old) 53.1%

Bourbon Cask 7037/ Dist: Oct 1973 Btl: Apr 2010/ Tasted: Apr 2010

Very dark in colour with a terrific bouquet of Armagnac-esque dried fruit – raisins, prunes, almonds and sultanas. Luscious, mature almost tropical fruit follow with the candy sweet American oak sitting in the background. Quiet robust and earthy for a Morey, and very complex, developing light treacle and a slight herbal-leafiness. Lovely!

The palate is fairly light with sugar coated, honeyed dried fruit and that Armagnac-esqur rancio. It even has a touch of the foxy Baco 22a about it and a touch of roasted green nuts and building salt (almost Manzanilla like). A short, piquant burst of alcohol is followed by the old wood notes of roasted coffee, liquorice, hickory and dried spices. The honey returns once more with an herbal inflection and exits with a dried, nutty fruit finale. A lovely old dram that definitely doesn’t need water because, well, just take my word for it!

Glen Moray Distillery Tasting Notes

Glen Moray No Age Statement 40%

Tasted: Nov 2011

A hugely oaked nose. It seems like a new world Sauvignon Blanc with perfume, bubblegum and a slight hint of rose water. Definitely one-dimensional.

The palate mirrors the nose in being straightforward and pleasantly full, but it does become overly sweet. A pleasant quaffer as they say in wine circles!

Glen Moray Classic 40%

Tasted: Dec 2013

A lovely, vibrant, herbal, grassy and citric nose with hints of banana and milky sub-tropical fruit. Wonderfully fresh with a touch of lightly perfumed white fruit and pure vanilla. Quite charming!

The palate is fresh, grassy and citrusy with pure vanilla pod and light sub-tropical fruit. Exuberant and fruity with late notes of barley and banana. Long and fresh with the Sauvignon Blanc-eque grassiness lingering along with some creamy oak.

Glen Moray Classic 40%

Code: L928767B/ Btl: Oct 2014/ Tasted: Dec 2015

A soft, chalky, slightly buttery nose with crisp white fruit, apricot, herbal honey and a Sauvignon Blanc-esque grassiness. Good vibrancy, if a little high toned with the citrus notes become quite juicy.

A little youthful on the palate with crisp white fruit, barley and a touch of honey. Lightly grassy middle with hints of vanilla oak. Medium length with a slight spirit note and a pleasant estery/ bananary after-taste. In conclusion: A pleasant young spey. An ideal summer aperitif.

Glen Moray Classic Peated 40%

Code: L510357A/ Btl: 2013/ Tasted: July 2015

The nose is beautifully grassy and crisp with sugar coated white fruit, liquorice root, ginger, barley and soft spice. With time the grassy character becomes more botanical and herbal and a whiff of earthy peat puts in an appearance.

The palate shows a little more toffee’d oak to begin with but the crisp, stony spirit character offsets. Subtle apricot and Sauvignon Blanc-esque white stone fruit comes through along with some barley and a touch of grass. Long with the subtle earthy peat lingering. Very mineral/ stony finish. In conclusion: Oh yes, that the business! A delightful Speyside whisky with just the right amount of peat, so it doesn’t overwhelm the character of the spirit.

Glen Moray Classic Peated 40%

Code: L516857E/ Btl: 2015/ Tasted: May 2017

Heavy and oily, which flatten the nose. Hints of oily peat, potato skin and wet barley.

The palate is showing a little more barley character and crispness. A little watery apricot, white fruit and gentle sweet peat on the middle. Good, spicy, peaty finish with lingering charcoal notes.

Glen Moray Classic Port Cask Finish 40%

Code: L617957B/ Btl: 2016/ Tasted: May 2017

The nose is full of winey red fruits, a touch of barley and dusty spice to begin with. Bubblegummy white fruit, grass and sweet oak come through along with hints of barley. Very well balanced.

Heavier on what appears to be the finishing cask, again winey red fruits and hints of syrup. Lightly tannic and chocolaty with hints of vanilla, barley, apricot and greengage. Bracing minerality adds balance. Medium length and very spicy with a touch of herbal citrus and subtle honey. In conclusion: If it is wine cask finish, [which it was! – tasted blind] which it appears to be it’s well balanced and integrated.

Glen Moray Cider Cask Project 46.3%

Tasted: Nov 2018

Fresh aromas of bubblegummy white fruit and hints of toffee coated cider apple. It opens to show sweet coriander powder, barley and spun sugar.

The palate is slightly lighter than the nose with white fruit, toffee, lemon, subtler cider apple, coriander powder, ginger and wood tannins. Lovely balance and structure with a long and juicy finish, featuring barley, white fruit, apple, toffee, granulated sugar and spicy, lightly bittering tannins. Probably not everyone’s cup of tea but I really liked it.

Glen Moray 10 year old 40%

Chardonnay Cask matured/ Tasted: Jan 2013

Soft aromas of decaying straw, earthy boiled sweet marc and light cardboard. Quite astringent with a touch of white fruit and barley along with a slight winey note. Oh and did I mention the caramel? Well I’d be surprised if that was natural caramel.

The palate opens with the sweet caramel and butter followed by some light barley, boiled sweet marc and light cardboard. The finish is a tad caramel dampened and bitter with a hint of nut shells. It’s ok. I don’t think this spirit has been matured in the greatest of wood to be honest.

Glen Moray 12 year old 40%

Bourbon/ Chenin Blanc

Tasted: Dec 2013

The nose is quite young, neutral or subtle? Hints of grass and honeycomb. Lightly oiled with hints of creamy oak and toasted caramel.

The palate is young, light gristy with a touch of ‘off the still’ cereal. The finish is quite grassy with a touch of crisp citrus. In conclusion: It’s way too young. Good spirit but it hasn’t developed any character yet.

Glen Moray 16 year old 40%

Bourbon/ Chenin Blanc

Tasted: Apr 2005

Quite a confected/ candied nose of sweet banana, spice and burnt caramel.

The palate is full, sweet and mouth coating almost to the point of cloying with an odd buttery/ oily consistency. Maybe there is a touch of apricot fruit in amongst all that wood but it is rather vapid and finishes with an unyielding hardness

Glen Moray Distillery Edition 1994 Sherry Cask Finish 56.7%

Cask 904/57

Dist: 1994 Btl: Apr 2017/ Tasted: Feb 2018

Aromas of both dark and milk chocolate, treacle, malt and slightly herbal raisinated fruit.

The palate opens with wood smoke, treacle and Oloroso dried fruit. Good depth with a slightly herbal middle. Long, treacly and herbal. In conclusion: Quite heavy on the sherry, but blemish free.

Glen Moray ‘Rare Vintage Limited Edition’ 1988 (25 Years Old) Port Cask Finish, Batch 3 43%

Dist: Sept 1998 Btl: Sept 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2015

The nose opens with very creamy toffee/ coffee, followed by herbal barley, acacia honey and hints of dried fruit – prunes in light syrup. Lovely depth with late hints of earth and wood smoke.

The palate mirrors the nose in opening with the creamy toffee/ coffee and a little sweet-ish wood spice. Very elegant with plenty of dried fruit and minerals on the middle. Long and gently herbal with a lovely, slightly mouth-watering, citrus finish with a smidgen of drier spices. In conclusion: Evocative and succulent. A beautifully balanced and  matured dram.

Glen Moray ‘Rare Vintage Limited Edition’ 1988 (25 Years Old) Port Cask Finish, Batch 3 43%

Dist: Sept 1998 Btl: Sept 2013/ Re-Tasted: Dec 2015

The nose is extremely coffee’d and herbal. It also feels quite spritely and younger than I would have expected given its age. The tannins feel quite gritty but dark honey, treacle and soft dried fruit balances.

Soft and coffee’d with plenty of somewhat homogenous dried fruit. Again feels quite young and straightforward with hints of drying tannin and vanilla. Long and spicy with lingering coffee and chocolaty tannin.