Glen Moray, the Speyside whisky distillery, has launched a trio of limited edition ‘wine-finish’ expressions for its annual Distillery Edition release.
Although the home of Glen Moray in Scotland has now re-opened its doors to the public, the latest whiskies will be available to buy through a ‘Distillery dial-in’ service, to accommodate those who are unable to visit Glen Moray in person. Typically, the Distillery Edition is only available to those who physically make the trip to Elgin.
The latest limited editions are the idea of Glen Moray’s Brand Ambassador and Distillery Visitor Centre Manager Iain Allan. He wanted to create an alternative to all the virtual and online whisky events that have been taking place during the lockdown and deliver a personal touch during the customer buying process.
In fact, Glen Moray will offer personal phone consultations during the traditional peak visitor season of July and August, where four members of their team will guide callers through the range during one-to-one conversations, and take any orders.
The three single cask malts in the 2020 Distillery Edition line-up have been fully matured in ex-wine casks for between 16 and 17 years, after being laid down between 2003 and 2004 in the Distillery’s Warehouse 1, the location of Glen Moray’s curious casks and maturation experiments.
This makes them the oldest wine-finished whiskies the distillery has ever released, and the expressions are as follows:
Chardonnay Cask (Cask 7670)
The Chardonnay Cask expression features a tawny colour and boasts a sweet and enticing aroma. The nose opens with sweet freshly cut pineapple drizzled in toffee sauce. The taste is reminiscent of raspberry jam and freshly buttered warm toast, which is followed by hints of bubble gum and citrus. The finish sees drier wood spices coming to the fore. This expression has an ABV of 58.9% and is priced at £85 per bottle.
Burgundy Cask (Cask 213)
With an auburn shade, the Burgundy Cask expression from Glen Moray, priced at £85 per bottle (60.1% ABV), features aromas of almond and marzipan, and lighter notes of fresh orange peel and pine resin. The taste brings out flavours of chocolate-coated cherries with a slightly earthy note hiding in the background. The grand finale of this whisky is an explosion of spices filling the palate with a glorious warmth.
Chenin Blanc Cask (Cask 341)
Glen Moray’s Chenin Blanc Cask has an ABV of 60.3% and is also priced at £85 per bottle. Bringing an auburn colour, it combines pear drops and freshly made camomile tea on the nose.
A robust honeycomb and apple pairing completes the wonderful flavours exuding from the glass. The taste has a tropical edge, with ginger and Seville orange creating the opening salvo of a flavour laden crescendo on the palate. The finish sees the opening intensity of this whisky softly fading into a whisper of ginger and floral hints.
Iain Allan explains that buying a bottle of Glen Moray from the annual Distillery Edition is as much about the experience of a visit to the distillery, as it is about buying a wonderful new whisky. He wanted to find a way to make the range available but to avoid making it just a basic online transaction.
He also said that everyone working at the Distillery enjoys nothing more than talking about whisky with fellow enthusiasts, answering questions and sharing behind the scenes stories of how Glen Moray is made.
Glen Moray 2020 Distillery Edition – Where and How?
For more information on the Glen Moray 2020 Distillery Edition, visit www.glenmoray.com.
All three expressions are non-chill filtered, bottled at cask strength and with natural colour. They are available to buy at the distillery, or by calling Iain and the team on 01343 550900 between 9 am and 5 pm.
The Glen Moray distillery is open from Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5 pm on weekdays only, with health and safety measures in place. Visitors are asked to pre-book tastings and café visits due to limited numbers. Distillery tours are not currently available.
Read more whisky-related articles in our dedicated beverages section here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.