Glen Moray
Glen Moray began life as a brewery on the banks of the River Lossie in Elgin in 1897. Founded on the very spot where the towns gallows once stood, the brewery was later converted by Robert Thorne & Sons to produce whisky, bolstering the output of their other business at Aberlour.
The early 1900s brought a drastic downturn in the whisky industry however, with many distilleries forced into closure and by 1910, Thorne & Sons had become so concerned with keeping Aberlour afloat that production had to be wound down at Glen Moray.
The site lay dormant until 1923 when it was acquired by Macdonald & Muir, then owners of Glenmorangie, who resumed production once more. The distillery would remain tied to Glenmorangie until as recently as 2008 when it was sold to French distilling company ‘La Martiniquaise’.
As a single malt, Glen Moray has something of a bargain basement reputation and, thanks largely to the ‘Elgin Classic’ core range, it is often found for around £20 in UK supermarket chains. As well as the standard bottling, there are Peated and Sherry Cask Finish versions but on this occasion I’ll be looking at the former…
The Whisky
Smell: Grassy & Floral with Apple, Lemon, Honey, Cream, even Tablet.
Taste: Apple & Orange, Caramel, touch of Malt and a little warming spice.
Thoughts: We’re smack bang in the middle of the budget category here and if I’m being honest, I didn’t expect much from it. For a no-age-statement whisky, bottled at a lowly 40%, however, it isn’t too bad. The palate never quite lives up to the nose but it’s got some nice, simple flavours that sit well with one another. Lacks a bit of intensity and you’re never going to get layer upon layer of complexity for £20 but I was still able to enjoy a few drams without dedicating much brain power to the task. Sometimes that’s all you need.
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