Glen Moray 12 Year Old

Recently, I 've been working my way into the Glen Moray range. Their 10 yo expression, spending its whole existence in Chardonnay casks, is a great dram... and a bargain to boot! Now here lies their 12. It was also a great bargain at $32.99. Lets see what it beholds!

Nose: Light, fresh, delicate. Quite herbal. Light on the sherry. Apples. Pineapple, a slight banana coming through ever so slightly.

Palate: Arrives fresh, light on the tongue. The 40% abv restrains the flavors substantially so, DO NOT ADD WATER. Apples are center stage here. Confectioners sugar. Barley lingers along with bitters and a trace of milk chocolate.

Finish: A bit dry. Short. The bitterness lingers along with herbal notes.

All these flavors aforementioned are subtle and uneventful. Their 10 was so good that to be honest, I was expecting more from this one.

as far as speyside malts go this is on the fruitier, sweeter side. it is completely un peated and lacks even the slightest hint of smoke - some may like this but i prefer a strong smoky finish. For a 12 year old it tastes remarkably young almost like an 8 or 10. It is quite light and sweet with a lot of hidden spice, masked by the young, unmatured alcohol taste. on the nose it is; sweet, spicy, and fruity, with hints of white pepper, cinnamon,citrus rind, raw grape (like a cheap white wine) and spiced oak. These aromas are quite complex and very enticing but sadly are drowned by the raw spirit smell. This scotch definitely benefits from some water and about 10 minutes or so to open up in a glass (with a lid of top). On the palate it is again sweet ans spicy, with hints of brown sugar and dried sugar fruits (hard to give an example, but close to dates or dried apricots). Again the rawness and alcohol burn completely dominates this whisky, it is only bottled at 40% so it leaves me to wonder why this spirit taste is so overpowering. The finish is even worse, it leaves behind a note of aniseed, liquorice and pepper. the initial aroma is dominate by raw spirit but after some time it either subsides or you just get used to it, either way it does eventually open up to reveal its dried, dark, sweetness. the development is simple and is yet again masked by immaturity and a poor balance, the finish is short and lets down the balance between spice and sugar. Over all the whisky does have some good points; it is very well balanced with the sweetness of the dries fruits and the refreshing spice of the white pepper and cinnamon. The major factor in its failure is it raw, unmatured and overpowering spirit burn. if you do happen to have this bottle i recommend adding a medium amount of water (more than you usually put) and let it sit in a covered glass for 10 - 15 minutes. on a side note i found the glen moray classic (non age statement) to be of a better quality is also slightly cheaper.

This bottle has been opened for a week. I bought it mainly because I found a bottle for less then $25. It isn’t a bottle you typically see around, and it had the misfortune to be owned by Gldnmorangie Group when they owned Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, and Glen Moray . . . so it gets no love. I think it might best be remembered for being the “other half” of the Serendipity bottle (mostly thought of as an Ardbeg). Here is what I think of this bottle:

Nose: Grassy, clean, citrus, and hay. This may well be one of the best grassy style Speysiders I have tried. The lemon notes are sharp and sour. But they meld effortlessly with the extremely juicy and clean malt. In the background there is a hint of sweet fruits: pears, Clementine oranges, and Honeycrisp apples. I really enjoy this and am surprised at the alcoholic sting at only 40%. With time more hay comes out. It is still extremely grassy.

Taste: sweet grassy clean malt. It really finds all the tender parts of your mouth (and hits them). It is all on sour notes mixed with grass and floral notes. Flowers that weren’t on the nose show up here. Still tons of lemon, lemon-grass, and just plain grass.

Finish: A slight wave of malt. Mostly malt and toasted barley; at the end some sour lemon-grass bits. Medium short finish.

Complexity, Balance: I am impressed with both the complexity and balance at this age (and from this distillery). A top grassy Speysider. The balance of sour and sweet is very interesting to observe. The complexity is way more then the “other” Glen’s I can think of. And the balance of the sweet, sour, grassy, malty on the nose, tongue and finish were wonderful. The only thing really out of balance was where some floral notes - that didn’t surface in the nose or the finish - came out on the taste.

Aesthetic experience: I actually think this bottle, label, and crest look old school and classy. The only thing I would change is the ABV up to 46%.

Conclusion: This is not a go to dram for me. But at $23.99 I will buy it again next time I find it. If you are a fan of Glen’s (‘fiddich, ‘livet, ‘Keith, ‘Grant etc.) I would give this bottle a try.

Final = 85.5 (so I'll round it up for being under appreciated)

I visited the Glen Moray distillery on the outskirts of Elgin in September 2010. But it was a Sunday, so the visitor centre was closed. This entry level 12 Year Old is dirt cheap. Between 25 and 30 EUR for a bottle of single malt.

The nose is very soft and sweet on vanilla, toffee and honey. A touch of oak and some pear drops. Unfortunately not much else and far from extraordinary.

It is soft and slightly oily on the palate. The pears return, as does the rest of the sweetness from the nose, with a mild spiciness. Not bad, but hardly enough to get me excited.

The short finish also offers some nuts and liquorice.

A little, characterless malt. Glen Moray has a lot more to offer, so put your money back in your pocket and select something else. Thanks, Reza, for the sample.

The Glen Moray 12 is a remarkably clean and fresh tasting single malt from Speyside and, for me, an expression that is best to start off an evening with.

The uncomplicated nose first brings with it a whiff of freshly kneaded dough next to a bowl of bran cereal. This is followed by a spoonful of leftover rice pudding. Quite comforting as it reminds me of breakfast during my school days. The freshness jumps out next - almost as if I decided to take my bowl of cereal out to my garden on an early spring morning. The relaxing aromas of freshly mowed grass and little white flowers completes a delicate and pleasant nosing experience.

The oily delivery is spicy at first as a pinch of white pepper lands quite dramatically on the tip of your tongue. Wrestle a bit more with the liquid and it rewards you with sweet honey and a hint of lemon tart.

The medium finish is citrusy dry with an aftertaste of red licorice and salty nuts.

A pleasant dram that, I suspect, is perfect to lure the rookie maltie!

Drank neat. The nose was for me the best part-- floral and fruity, with subtle notes of pear and apples. The body was light and smooth, but slightly rough at the same time. The taste was smoky, woody, and very lightly sweet. I agree with another review for this whisky I saw on this forum, in that this is a "tad unfinished" for a 12-year old single malt. Nonetheless this is still an enjoyable whisky, especially on a rainy night like tonight.