Glen Moray 23 Years Old 1996 Cask #AM 138 (Asta Morris)

This Glen Moray was bottled by Asta Morris, a 23 year old, distilled in 1996, from cask AM 138, bottled at 49.7%, one of 189 bottles. Glen Moray is a Speyside malt from Elgin, the heart of the Cutty Sark and Label 5 blends. Its water is drawn from the River Lossie, which runs past the distillery at Elgin.

The spirit was run through the stills on River Lossie water for a light make, for a light, easy spirit with a soft malt. It rested in ex-Bourbon oak, oak lactones lending vanilla and a little coconut. In the oxidative, evaporative years concentration brings dried fruit, honey and a waxy depth over the apple. Active wood frames the fruit without overwhelming the light Speyside spirit. The clean, fruity spirit shows the cask clearly, vanilla and fruit to the fore. Years in oak round the spirit, the green apple deepening to honey and dried fruit. Its make is a key malt in the Cutty Sark and Label 5 blends.

At a hearty 49.7% it carries real weight. A fresh, fruity sweetness, with a soft vanilla from the oak. Beneath it run green apple, pear and a soft vanilla. It finishes light, fresh and fruity. This is the easy, fruity malt of Elgin.