Glen Moray 32 Year (1991), SMWS 35.388 “Snug and tasty”
Whisky: Glen Moray 32 Year (1991), SMWS 35.388 “Snug and tasty”
Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside
ABV: 53.9%
Cask: Bourbon Hogshead (27Y), 2nd Fill PX Sherry Hogshead
Age: 32 Years (Distilled 25 October. 1991)
Nose: Fruit cake, orange, chocolate, white chocolate/cocoa butter, tangerines, dunnage and musty earth, moss, herbal spice.
Palate: Medium-bodied, woody, roasted coffee, chocolate, vanilla, hints of almond and chicory, fruits in jelly, aloe, woody coconut husk, black pepper.
Finish: Long and drying with musty dunnage, pepper, dried coconut, and cucumber slices.
Score: 7-8 (86)
Mental Image: Dunnage Christmas Party
Narrative & Notes: Christmas fruit cakes and Jaffa cakes sitting among a spread of chocolate puddings, candied oranges, fruit jelly candies covered in chocolate, and white chocolate covered tangerine slices. It was a smorgasbord of decadence in a dunnage warehouse as musty earth, moss covered walls, and woodsy spice filled the air. Peach tea, peppercorns, and sliced cucumbers flirted around the edges with herbal and vegetal notes. Medium-bodied with plenty of woodsy structure providing a shower of sweet coffee beverages— chocolate, vanilla, almond, and chicory all popped in with a hint of roasty bitterness. Jelly fruit cups arrived late on, or quicker with water, as grapes, peaches, and aloe. Hints of woody coconut husk and fibers lingered at the end with some more cracked pepper. The finish was long and drying with musty dunnage, pepper, dried coconut, and cucumber slices.
Glen Moray is both, a distillery I rarely think twice about, and capable of real magic, especially under the right conditions and with a long, slow maturation. Not every malt is built to withstand decades in the cask, but Glen Moray handles it wonderfully as the robust malt can also tolerate some fairly aggressive cask maturations or finishes. I am always suspicious of whiskies with big, loud finishes, but this second fill PX hogshead provided a wonderful lift to some of the dessert qualities of the whisky without overpowering, or blowing out its subtleties.
Overall, a wonderfully balanced malt with plenty of big flavors and a lovely evolution toward more subtle fruits and spices.
