| Whisky | Glen Moray Our Classic |
| Region | Speyside, Scotland |
| Style | Single Malt |
| ABV | 40% |
| Price | £19 |
Glen Moray Our Classic Review: A Light and Accessible Speyside Single Malt.
Hi and Welcome! You’ve stumbled upon my Glen Moray Our Classic review and I hope you leave here feeling just a little bit more informed. I think you’ll agree that most things in life can be categorised onto a scale that has premium at one end, and budget at the other. Whisky is also one of those things. A lot of people may place Glen Moray – Our Classic, further towards the budget side of that scale. I mean, the price point could be a good giveaway that the product isn’t exclusive, and perhaps it’s permanent place on every UK supermarket shelf from Sainsbury’s to Morrisons further reinforces the idea that it’s nothing special. Personally, I think that would only be the opinion of somebody who hasn’t tried it. Either that, or they have palates that far surpass my infantile taste buds.
Tell Me More About Glen Moray, Bruce.
Sure thing, I can see you’re keen to know more. Glen Moray hails from the Speyside region of Scotland. If you don’t know where that is, it’s just north of Newcastle. I jest. The Speyside region is on the east side of the Highlands. If Google images are to be believed, it’s packed full of lovely green rolling hills and jagged rock arrangements and it has never seen a single bit of snow…
More serious single malt drinkers may tell you that a whisky bottling should be higher than 40% ABV. 40% ABV is the legal minimum that scotch whisky should be bottled at. A higher ABV is synonymous with a better flavour we are told, but I don’t necessarily agree. Our Classic has plenty of flavour – and flavour that I enjoy, but I can understand why it may not be for everyone.
Nose
There’s a sharp bite of alcohol at the top, and a moderate dose of creaminess as the vanilla comes through. The American Oak shines bright in this dram… over time that vanilla turns into cream soda and has a slightly thick sweetness to it. There’s some fruits in there too – I get some apple and a bit of plum and cherry skin too.
Palate
The apple is the only fruit that carries through to the taste for me, and I really need to concentrate to get it. There’s a bit of toasted cereal in there and quite an oily mouthfeel which I like. It takes a few seconds for the vanilla/creaminess to come through; it’s pleasant and not overpowering. There’s a very slight medicinal peat right at the end, but it’s very light and adds a layer of complexity which is intriguing.
Finish
The finish is moderately long of around ten seconds. The vanilla and cream soda give way to the cereal notes which carry out finish, with that lovely slightly briny light peat.
Overall Impressions
This is a lovely balanced single malt. The flavours are very rounded and it’s a fairly inoffensive dram. I was very impressed with the flavour which is seems to have been highly influenced by the American Oak barrels that it was stored in. As this bottle doesn’t contain an age statement, it’s difficult to say how long it had it’s digs inside the barrels, but the characteristics of the wood are in the spirit, and it’s a perfectly reasonable drink.
Final Verdict
6/10
I think every scotch whisky drinker should try it at least once. Glen Moray have produced a good quality spirit with Our Classic. It’s reasonably priced, easily obtainable, and so inoffensive that it can be enjoyed in any situation. It won’t win many awards for originality, but what it does do it does brilliantly. I have other whisky reviews too! I haven’t just reviewed Glen Moray Our Classic – here’s my review of Glen Moray Fired Oak 10 Year Old which really didn’t hit the mark for me.
