Rating
Price
£25
In a nutshell
A really, really heavy hitting whisky which an impressive, long, Metaxa-esque finish (this is a first). Not subtle, not smooth and (probably) not for people who don’t already like whisky. This dram is like Duke Nukem, it has balls of steel.
The ‘Elgin Classic’
This here whisky you see before your very eyes is a new (2014) addition to Elgin based Glen Moray’s range. A relatively young whisky (which I believe you can tell by the price point and the taste), it’s spent 8 months in former tawny port casks before being bottled. At around £25-30 it’s rather good value considering EVERY FUCKING NICE THING in the whisky world seems to be getting more and more expensive (or maybe I’m just developing stupid tastes, I dunno).
Glen Moray gave been active as a distillery since 1897 (it was a brewery before this) in 2008 they were bought by a brand I have never heard of called ‘La Martiniquaise’. The distillery itself is right on the banks of the River Lossie. I didn’t get the chance to visit when I was in Elgin but would like to, I have been told that everyone is super nice and that they will ply you with coffee and cakes (as oppose to plying you with whisky, uh….)
We Drink It, Stuff Happens
Nose:
Initial Impression: Honeyed caramel plus a bit of something acerbic. Maybe raw alcohol. Definitely smells like its gonna be a strong heady dram that might kick you in the face. A whisky in the ‘old style’, perhaps?
BIG and sweet – fuckloads of residual alcohol, honey/caramel with a bit of smoke (standard ‘amplified Speyside’?). Hard to get anything new or subtle here under the big waft of alcohol.
Palette:
Takes a few swigs to really get the measure of this one, it is not immediately obvious. The adjustment period takes a little while.
Yes indeed It is WEIGHTY. Kinda sour and ‘zingy sharp’. Leans too heavily on the sour heaviness which kinda blasts away some of the other notes. Ever tasted something ‘spiky?’ That’s how I can best describe it.
Doesn’t seem like it has all that much character and I don’t get any tawny port influences in here. Tastes like a generic/classic young Scotch. So yeah, quite weighty but not very refined.
Finish:
This is the good bit. The finish reminds me a lot of Metaxa (though I doubt there’s any Muscat sweetening the finish in this one!)
You get that sorta eau de vie ‘ripe fruit’ thing – finish is sour at first but then has that Metaxa like fruitiness which is quite memorable. Takes said finish a while to transition from ‘eau de vie’ to ‘Metaxa fruity’ however.
That said the Metaxa finish is impressively long. Sticks around at least half an hour after I’d finished tasting this one!
Verdict:
For £25? Meh. I guess you get what you pay for sometimes It feels too young – another taster described it as ‘rushed’. The finish is quite something else but this is a harsh whisky and not one I would give to a whisky newbie or a whisky skeptic.
However: you hardened veterans / ‘tongue tough guys’ may want to give it a go – the price is pretty reasonable, all things considered!
And you gotta give those balls of steel respect.