Glen Moray 13 Year (Single Cask Nation)

 

There is really a wide galaxy of flavor available in sherried scotch - both in terms of full maturation and finishing. Some are sugar sweet, dessert whiskies through and through; others - like this bottle from Single Cask Nation, a 13 year Glen Moray - are on the dry side, and lean into the more savory side of the equation. 

This particular bottle was matured 8 years in ex-bourbon and then had a second maturation of 5 years in an ex-Oloroso cask. Oloroso is the type of sherry made with Palomino grapes and is dry and yeasty in character. I was immediately curious how the rich Glen Moray character would combine with Oloroso flavors. 

Here are the official notes from Single Cask Nation: 

TASTING NOTES​

NOSE: Cherry cordial, Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies, raspberry compote smeared over warm pancakes, sweet malted barley.

PALATE: Freshly cracked peppercorns, cocoa powder, espresso, red Wine Gums, blackcurrant jam, balsamic glaze, toasted walnuts.

FINISH: Long, warming, and gently drying with lingering jamminess, cinnamon, roasted coffee beans, and an oaky brightness towards the very end.

And here is the official profile: 

Bottled at 59.9% ABV, let's see how it goes: 

Nose: Heavy wood and dry sherry presence on the nose: freshly sawn oak planks, forest moss, pine needles, leather, fresh-picked cherries, chocolate bars, malted barley, dried orange peels. Palpable alcohol prickle, numbs the nose if you inhale too deeply. 

With water, it sweetens a tad and mellows a tad. 

Mouthfeel: Medium, oily. 

Palate: The official tasting notes are more or less spot on: cocoa, espresso grounds, red wine gums, black currants, balsamic vinegar, toasted nuts, and some pepper. I also get rich oak and some dark/charred citrus. But there is also a very noticeable amount of alcohol present - it's definitely not invisible, and comes across as quite punchy. 

With water, it's "warmer" - the flavors are less focused and instead a bit hazier, a bit sweeter, a bit mellower. Hard to describe, but water makes it a little more approachable, less punchy. 

Either way, this is quite a dark, enigmatic, and forest-flavored whisky - not at all what I expected from Glen Moray. 

Finish: Medium/long - berries, coffee, and wood dominate. 

Verdict: This is a weird, brooding whisky that tastes like it might be best at Christmas - the cherry notes, the pine, the chocolate, etc. - and it's really off-brand for Glen Moray, which is usually sweet like cake or pastry with bright fruit. 

The sherry maturation here has really made the spirit astringent and "spikey," and the alcohol impact is considerable. Best taken in small sips, for sure. I would take issue a bit with that tasting chart - it's not very sweet, at all, and only debatably "rich." Instead I'd call it heavily oaky and heavily earthy. Even the residue in the glass - often far, far sweeter than the actual whisky is - here is dark and oaky and redolent of sour cherries. 

Be careful with this one. A dark horse, for sure.