Glen Moray Elgin Classic Port Cask Finish

Another instance I was praying to the TSA gods that they'd let me pass this through on my trip to Denver. Thankfully, it worked. So I maybe the outlier here, or it could've been the mile high Denver altitude, but I really liked this. I got a warm blueberry cobbler on the nose, with a summery berry fruits on the palette. Short finish, with a kick of bitterness . A good Dram to share with friend who may not appreciate the complexity and gut kick of the Ardbegs and Lagavulins. Solid 3.5. Thanks Scott for the sample.

Definitely getting port on the nose. Hmm, there is also some alcohol burn I detect, which is a little disheartening for a 40% ABV. White grapes and butter cookies. Decent so far, so let's have a taste! Damn, that's hot for a 40%. The alcohol taste kinda obliterates the palate for me, which is really weird, because I love cask strength Islay whisky. Faint bitter dark chocolate, with even more bitter malt. There is some oak in there, but nothing else can come to the forefront. I am trying to find the blueberry in there that others have found, but it eludes me. The finish is just more alcohol, and a hot mess. Well, let's put a drop of water on it, just to give it a chance. Nope. This one is "Let Down" by Radiohead. Great song, but I'll just pass on this dram. Maybe it's just for those who like milder flavors. Thanks for the sample Scott!

Stop number 41 on the SDT is Glen Moray. This Speyside distillery was previously owned by Moët Hennessy/Louis Vuitton, which owns Glenmorangie and Ardbeg, but they dropped the brand as it didn't fit with their luxury profile. Glen Moray is now a part of La Martiniquaise, France's second largest spirits company. Ok, enough with the backstory now let's get to the good stuff. This NAS expression is bottled at 40% ABV, is most likely chill filtered, but appears to be a natural color (although a have no actual proof) of strawberry blonde. I have no idea of its age or of how long the port finishing process was. The nose starts sweet with buttery croissants, strawberry Jolly Rancher candies and some port wine notes. Very sweet indeed. Honey, nutmeg and a little cinnamon & sugar. This is definitely a dessert dram. I get lemon squares dusted with powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Almond paste or marzipan comes and goes. This is like smelling a dessert table at a family holiday party. Some cinnamony oak in the background. A malty character shows up after a while. This is a great nose that is complex, although overall it is somewhat subdued and watered down. Spicier than expected on the palate given how sweet the nose was. A fair amount of oak and sweet port notes. Some blueberry/blackberry pie. Dark chocolate and a touch of ginger. Again, very good, but watered down and lacking in power. Light bodied mouthfeel that is thin and dry. Medium short finish that has port wine, almond paste and lemon candy. Scott did a masterful job in his review and I picked up on most of the same things he did with only a few differences. A big thanks to him for the sample he provided. This scotch is so close to being great. Everything is there, it just needs a higher ABV to carry it across the finish line. I love the nose, very pleasant if not a tad unbalanced from all the sweet notes. The palate is a bit thin and the finish is too short. 46-50% ABV would have made this a force to be reckoned with. Hell, I'd even take 43%. At around $25-30 you really are getting a great value for money. Without that low price I would give this a 3.5, but it's VFM factor gives it a boost to 3.75. I now had a very strong desire to try the 25 year port finished version! Cheers 🥃

I pick this up for the Scotish Distillery Tour as I was interested in Glen Moray, never being privy to it prior. The local spirit shop has several of the Glen Moray styles, aged and NAS, but I was curious about this particular bottling. Mostly being intrigued by the Port finish. A few soft rolls in the glass and some nosing and you are introduced to fruity aromas. Fruit cocktail (like the Dole canned fruit cocktail) is what I am reminded and reminisce on first nosing. A bit more time, and other fruity aromas of apples and dried pineapple come through. Cereal notes come through with some banana (banana bread) over time. A touch of leather can be detected and adds a touch of depth to the lightweight nose. Like the nose, the mouthfeel is exrremly lightweight. A slight zing of ginger wakes the palate. Once past the zing, a sweeter side of the dram arrives with barley sugar, vanilla, honey and orange creamsicle. A touch of blueberry, oddly, is detectable adding to the fruit nature. The flavors on the palate are short lived. As I would expect, a tinge of red wine-like notes arrive on the finish, though, again, rather faint. The zing transforms itself from ginger to white pepper. Some almond nuttiness and a bit of lemon citrus bitterness round out the short finish. What comes through with this whisky is a sense that it has been watered down. Like when you go to that dive bar and get a drink and the liquid in the bottles that was used has been added with water to stretch the length of the spirit. The flavors want to burst and are on the cusp, but are restrained. That could be because of worn out casks with little life left (pure speculation here, though). All that said, it is not that terrible. It is sweeter than I expected and has less wine influcence than I would have thought. Overall, though, a bottle can be found for approximately $30 and I have had much worse for more money. [82/100][$30][Tasted: 10/7/17]

Very thin. Saccharin, artificial sweetness. Weird chemical color. Very short finish. Did not like it

It is spicy and sweet. Smells grassy/herby. It's okay. Nothing special.