[Review] Glen Moray - Elgin Classic 40%

After a couple of week without much in terms of new posts, I am back with a whisky I was not expecting to open and put on TheMaltCask anytime soon: Glen Moray the Elgin Classic. 

I was given the bottle last year and I put it on the shelf with other "to-be-opened" bottles, but without thinking much about it as it it probably one of the cheapest official bottling single malts you can by in UK supermarkets. In other words, my expectation was not really high. However it so happened that I finished my bottle of Johnnie Walker Black a couple of weeks ago, and when I went to the shelf to get hold of a new bottle of the Black, I came across the Glen Moray and decided to open it instead hoping it would do the trick as far as easy drinking is concerned.

As I said, the Glen Moray range is present in supermarket and it tends to be the cheapest single malt on offer at around £20 a bottle. This is the standard, classic malt, but there is also a peated version and a sherry cask finish version available, none of which I have tried, yet... I regret not having bought the 10 year-old Chardonnay cask bottle to try it a few months ago before it was discontinued. 

Being an entry level malt from Speyside, I wasn't thinking much of this whisky, particularly as it is not peaty or heavily sherried. So let's see whether my thoughts were justified or not...

Glen Moray Elgin Classic is bottled at 40% and nowhere does it state it is non-chill filtered or natural colour despite the fact it is quite pale gold in colour. It is a Non-Age Statement whisky but a bit of research leads you to believe the Scotch in the bottle has spent an average of around 7 years in ex-bourbon casks, of which -apparently- many were 1st-fill. It isn't a bad start for this "budget malt"!

Nose: Quite fresh and fruity, with green apples and hints of pear, some malt sweetness, grassy and floral notes too, honey and confectionery.

Palate: You are not going to find a very complex mix of flavours here, but the palate is sweet first but with some bitter notes too, citrus and ginger, and bizarrely I also get some washing powder hints.

Finish: Medium rather than long, with malt and ginger notes, hints of spice and quite a dry bitterness.

With water: Once again, bottled at 40% I would not add more than a couple of drops, which make the whisky sweeter, bringing more honey and malt into the overall experience with some persistent ginger on the finish and an ever-so-slight hint of smoke/peat.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised after my first dram of this Glen Moray. It is certainly not the most complex malt out there, but when you consider the price, it is a very easy drinking, enjoyable single malt, and actually slightly cheaper than the Johnnie Walker Black I was intending opening. I think I will definitely consider trying other offerings from Glen Moray!