Glen Moray is one of those distilleries I first encountered in turbocharged single cask independent bottles - they are rich and sweet and full of interesting flavors, in that setting. But their official bottlings mostly seemed geared at the lower end of the market, and this Port Cask Finish bottling was only $28 - half the cost of most other standard bottles. Thanks to Rob Martin for this delicious sample!
This has no age statement, so anything goes as far as guessing how old it is. My tentative estimate? 8-9 years. Initial casking is ex-bourbon, and then finished in port pipes - unknown if tawny or ruby port. Bottled at a disappointing (but understandable, given the budget position) 40% ABV. Let's just get straight to this:
Nose: A really gorgeous nose - much nicer than it deserves to be at the price point and low alcohol. Nice orchard fruit - lots of poached pear - along with tawny port notes, a light oak presence, and some rounded caramel. You can inhale it all day with a smile on your face.
Mouthfeel: Thin but silky.
Palate: Also nice - more tawny port wine, caramel slices, apples and pears, soft oak, and some delicate spices - allspice? Cloves? Not wild, but endlessly drinkable. Well-mannered.
Finish: What finish? It evaporates on the tongue without a finish to speak of. The only significant flaw (although massive) in this whisky. I can tolerate the low alcohol, but the complete absence of a finish is mysterious and a bit disappointing. Would be curious to taste this same thing at, say, 50-55% ABV and see what the finish is like then. Maybe it's getting choked out by the low wattage.
Verdict: At $28, this is almost a must-buy. The nose and palate largely distract you from the lack of finish - hell, by the time the finish is supposed to appear, just raise the glass again and take another whiff, another sip - problem solved! Glen Moray is a distillery to keep your eye on - if they ever get ambitious and start releasing craft presentation official bottlings, they will be a real market force, a la Balvenie perhaps, or Glencadam. Still - this is worth trying. A real win at the price point.
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