Whisky enthusiasts often start their malt journeys exploring the shelves of their local supermarket for reasonably priced entry-level whiskies. Many soon graduate from this to seek out older, limited and generally more complicated (and therefore expensive) expressions. But, it’s wise to keep an eye on your local shelves – there’s still plenty of quality hidden amongst the own-brand blends to be had.
Glen Moray is one such quality find. The distillery produces several ranges of whiskies, with the Elgin Classic range being a common sight on the shelves of supermarket chains. We’ve already looked at the Elgin Classic Peated, so today we’re going right back to basics with the distillery’s true entry-level bottling – the straight up Elgin Classic. Bottled at 40% ABV and with a price point of only just over £20. Let’s take a look…
Nose: Fresh and fruity. Red berries and then a smattering of green fruit aromas – unripe green apples, gooseberries, grapes and kiwi’s. This greenness continues beyond the fruity spectrum into light herbals such as freshly cut lawn, newly crofted hay and winter mint. There’s a touch of honeycomb for sweetness and a dash of vanilla to let us discern some cask influence.
Taste: Quite mouth coating for 40% ABV though a touch spirity initially. Slightly sweet with caster and icing sugars and fudge, and then slightly bitter from freshly made tea, ginger and nutmeg. Green notes continue and are joined by something a wee bit vegetal (probably a green one though) alongside zesty lime peels.
Finish: Short in length, and emphasising toffee, vanilla and some sharp citrus.
Glen Moray Elgin Classic can be described as a light summery dram – it’s refreshing, fruity and with quite a lot of crispness to it. Whilst not the world’s most complex dram, it offers more intricacy than you’d probably first assume – especially when looking at the price point. Which, frankly is a steal – a touch over £20 from Master of Malt currently – and also probably easily obtainable for a similar price in your local supermarket. Fresh, summery, well-made and well-priced….you can’t really go wrong.