1980’s Glen Moray - The Highland Light Infantry 12 year old

Glen Moray ‘Elgin Classic’ 12 Year Old 1980's

It is, in my opinion, the most approachable beginner’s single malt on the market which can be enjoyed pouring straight from the bottle with no messing about with adding water or waiting for the alcohol heat to calm down.

Glen Moray will appeal to a very wide audience as it is, at the same time, so gentle on the palate , yet full of character and multliple flavours. It is floral and fruity without being over sweet, malty without being dry, balanced vanilla flavours without being over charred and heavy.

The 12-Year-Old. “Aged in the finest American oak, there's a hint of toastiness to this elegant malt, a wonderfully balanced whisky with a subtle sweetness. A sublime marriage of summer fruits and mellow vanilla, it's intended to be savoured and enjoyed.”

The colour is a pale straw to Chardonnay wine

Nose : The first thing you appreciate is that there is absolutely no alcohol burn on the nose whatsoever. This will be very appealing and reassuring to those new to drinking spirits. The next thing you notice is a delightful fresh white and yellow fruity sweet aroma and hints of perfume florals like a female body spray or walking through a summer garden. Finally, there is a distinct aroma of freshly cut grass after a down pour.

This will very much appeal to the single malt whisky newbie, especially one who has only drunk Blended whisky before. It will immediately become apparent to anyone that this is something completely different. Gentle yet substantial and distinctive aromas will set this apart from any Blend.

I say substantial because underneath all that summer garden florals and fruity sweetness, the Glen Moray has a delightful malty digestive biscuity smell. This shows through in the tasting.

Taste:- Fresh and lively with crisp white fruit and tangy, juicy white melon, pears, travel sweets pear-drops and Sauvignon Blanc white wine. There is a very apparent malt digestive biscuit mouth feel. It’s like placing a few slices of honey-dew melon onto a malty biscuit, placing it on the tongue and leaving it there until it melts in the mouth. There are some nice nutty honey flavours from the wood but not much spice.

The 12-Year-Old has a lovely malty barley oily and caramised almonds and walnuts mouth feel to it. Whereas with the Classic, they were white fruits, the 12-Year-Old tastes of yellow fruits like ripe honey-dew melon, yellow apples, peaches, vanilla custard, malty digestive biscuits, toast and cinnamon butter, barley sugar. The 12-Year-Old has all this but with the addition of lemon sherbet, tangy with spicy wood notes and yummy caramalised nuts on the finish.

Finish is deliciously fruity, soft yellow apples, vanilla biscuits, honey, walnuts and apple travel sweets, leaving a lovely tangy taste in the mouth. Far from satisfying, the whisky is extremely moreish. Added to the fact that this is such a gentle, easy drinking classic Speyside whisky, you will find yourself pouring another glass all too quickly.

Established in 1897 the Glen Moray distillery began operations in the Speyside region of Scotland, an area renowned for its unique whisky and numerous distilleries. The Glen Moray is owned by French spirits company La Martiniquaise, which produces Porto Cruz port and Poliakov Vodka also. This bottle of the Highland Regiments portrays the Highland Light Infantry  in an exhibit of honour to be associated with the Regiment's love for the whisky in their mess halls and is protected in a tin case surely to be taken across the world with the regiment. Once opened the aroma of vanilla and honey is first detected, then grass and cereals, the palate is fruity, floral, white chocolate and malt with a short finish of caramel, vanilla and oak.