A very well-aged Glen Moray that’s been matured in an ex-bourbon hogshead for 29 years before being finished in a 1st fill sauternes barrique. Old & Dignified profile.
Nose: A rather mesmeric combination of sweet roasted meats (ham hock, crusted beef, pork crackling), garden flowers (lilac and violets), well-aged wood (lacquered wood panelling and dusty polish) and perfectly composed sweet fruits – orange peels, cardamom steeped pears and fresh lychee. In the background – sugars – chocolate, creamy latte, sticky brown sugar and some malt loaf. Water serves to heighten the already excellent combination of aromas – orange liqueur, sultanas, salted caramel and resinous varnish.
Taste: More of the same, in that this is just excellent. Toffee popcorn (the best you’ve ever had), fresh coffee beans, chocolate sponge, butterscotch and rum-soaked raisins. Leather coaches, old paperback books and mirror-polished teak furniture emphasis the pitch-perfect maturation this Glen Moray has been exposed to. In the background, notes of burnt sugars – over-caramelised toffee and honeycomb along with generously boozed Christmas cake. Diluted, this becomes incredibly juicy with a syrupy mouthfeel and an abundance of intense rich caramel, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: Very long, with dusty cigar box tobacco, old dry polished wood and a tingle of white pepper.
I don’t often give out the really big scores for SMWS bottlings – but this Glen Moray has easily earned one. A flawless marriage of spirit and wood that’s utterly delicious and compellingly well-composed. Finishing done properly. Expensive, but easily my pick of the month.