Glen Moray 33 Year (1987), SMWS 35.304 "Thine happy place"
Whisky: Glen Moray 33 Year (1987), SMWS 35.304 "Thine happy place"
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 53.1%
Cask: 2nd Fill Bourbon Barrel
Age: 33 Years (Distilled 18 Sept. 1987)
Nose: Tobacco and sandalwood with fragrant thistle, heather, and sagebrush, leather, subtle salt and earth in the back, more chocolate, kinako, tatami mats, and pear with time.
Palate: Medium-bodied and balanced, wood, herbs, and earth, sandalwood, salty broth, white miso, pears, cucumber, tobacco, kinako, more earth, herbs and hints of dark chocolate.
Finish: Long with herbal tobacco, wood, and hints of earth.
Score: 8 (88)
Mental Image: Revery in an Herb Garden
Narrative & Notes: I imagined an outdoor spa with fragrant thistle, heather, and sagebrush surrounding a bubbling pool while maritime salt and dry earth blew in on an evening breeze. Hints of charred wood lingered in the background with leather and melon rind. The image of an autumn ryokan emerged as fruity Korean pears and hints of yuzu arrived with chocolate, kinako, and tatami mats. Medium-bodied with a smooth and balanced mouthfeel, the profile was woody, herbal, and earthy with accents of fruit. Sandalwood and tatami mats arrived first with hints of pickled radish, kelp, dill, and tarragon. A mild salty broth came to mind with subtle white miso and hints of sweet shellfish. Pears and cucumbers waited near the end with hints of chocolate, tobacco, kinako, and peppercorns. The finish was long with herbal tobacco, wood, and hints of earth.
What a journey— and not at all the one I thought I would be taking with this whisky. The flavor profile was decidedly old-school, with a fascinating melange of musty gardens and a relaxing mountain hot spring spa. The evolution over time was remarkable, and the flavors seemed to constantly be reorganizing around those two themes. There was a particular brightness and twang to the malt that reminded me a bit of pickled radishes and other vinegary, crisp, preserved produce. It was an interesting notion, perhaps from the garden, herbal, and occasionally slightly salty elements.
Overall, a journey with a satisfying destination; this was an interesting malt. Not the kind of thing I would likely pull off the shelf often, but a real treat when the craving for something a bit herbal and different comes on.
