Glen Moray 2003 Chardonnay Cask Cask #7670

A 17 year old Glen Moray, a distillery bottling, from 2003, cask 7670, at 58.9%. Glen Moray is a light, easy Speyside single malt with a long line of cask finishes. It has been owned since 2008 by the French house La Martiniquaise.

Distilled light and fruity in the Glen Moray style, for a clean make of orchard fruit and a soft honey. Most Glen Moray begins in American oak ex-Bourbon, the base for its cask finishes. Into oxidative maturity, slow air ingress builds fruity ethyl esters (apple and pear) and a honeyed depth. Maturation in the bonded warehouses at Elgin is slow and steady. It closed in 1910 and reopened in 1923 under Macdonald and Muir of Glenmorangie. The light spirit suits a wide range of cask finishes, from sherry to rum. The clean, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore. Its make is a key malt in the Cutty Sark and Label 5 blends.

At a hearty 58.9% it carries real weight. A light, orchard fruit and toffee, with a soft vanilla from the oak. A soft fruit and a gentle oak give it depth. The finish is rounded, fruity and clean. This is an approachable Speyside single malt from Elgin.