Whiskysponge Glen Moray Thirtysomething

These days Glen Moray probably has a rather better reputation than it had a decade or two ago, thanks to the tireless work of Distillery Manager Alumnus Graham Coull, so it's a wee bit harsh of the Sponge to label this bottle with an admittedly funny, but definitely backward looking, label.

Then again, the Sponge is cursed to know whisky-that-was better than pretty much everybody, to remember and lament the Heroic age of drams, so we should probably forgive him/her/it for referencing the time when Glen Moray was the unloved third child of the suitcase-vending owners of Ardbeg and Glenmorangie.

(And besides, who among us does not love a bargain? If, in 2005, you had the choice between some dubious United Spirits blend for £15 or a single malt with an age statement, no matter how overtly Chardonoid, for £18, of course you would buy the Glen Moray. Probably two bottles.)

All of this prefatory material is to prepare you to be disappointed, or at the very least, jaded. So that, should you be lucky enough to actually taste the whisky, your joy will be all the purer and more unalloyed.

I should explain, by the by, that this tasting note is a joint effort between myself and the Whisky Wuman. We tasted this Glen Moray courtesy of a sample from the Whisky Sponge, and discussed it as we were taking notes, thus simultaneously illuminating and polluting each other's thoughts.

So, throats having been cleared, and positions having been established, I have to say that this whisky is absolutely fabulous. It has aged beautifully in a none too active cask, it shows a marvellous progression from the ester-heavy youth of good Glen Moray to a mature, oxidised, yet still fruity, concentrated dram, a waxy, umami-laden delight which references Clynelish and the best of Knockdhu.

It's remarkably clean for a thirty-seven year old dram, with not even a hint of dunnage character (and it's worth remarking than dunnage character is highly desirable, so this bottling is all the better for being so very tasty without relying on that crutch).

If I had to euphemise it, SMWS-style, it would be, "Spiced Grilled Peaches In A Dusty Hessian Sack". The non-commercial five word tasting note, per Peynaud, is, "Waxy fruit. Waxy brown fruit". And the score, for those of you who like numbers, is (on a scale of 0-5): 6+.

Port Ellen 37 Year Old

We had been promised a taste of all of the 2016 Special Releases, but owing to some double booking or some such by our host, only the Port Ellen was on hand. This did have the unlooked for - but very much appreciated - consequence that we all got whisky cocktails for free. To use the vernacular, result.

The Port Ellen, at 37 years old, smelt surprisingly peaty. Fairly intense fruity salt dominated, but there was a load of underlying peat, and behind all that some elegant oak perfume. All in all the nose was very broad and direct, like a chunk of overly salty fudge.

Without water the palate was nippy. I found grass, boiled sweets, fusty old oak and salty malt, but very little earthy peat. Water improved this dram immensely, making it soft, rounded, and even more salty. It was remarkable just how salty it was without being peaty or smoky.

I've tasted Port Ellen a handful of times, and always enjoyed it. This dram was excellent, although of course I didn't pay for it (and wouldn't, at the asking price). It did seem surprisingly peaty for a 37 year old, which rather made me wonder if the whisky was racked into freshly emptied Caol Ila or Lagavulin casks at some point. I don't suppose I'll ever find out.