Whisky Discovery #132

Glen Moray 10 Year Old Chardonnay Cask (40% abv, OB, Bottled 2012, 70cl)
Speyside Single Malt
Circa £25.00 70cl

Ten Years in Chardonnay Casks

Following the very enjoyable 'Classic' expression, Iain Allan, Visitor Centre Manager at the Glen Moray Distillery, poured as a dram or two of this recently released expression at the London International Wine and Spirits Fair at Excel London, 

Iain went on to explain that this 10 year old Glen Moray has been matured for its entire ageing period in Chardonnay casks. I initially misheard and thought that it had been finished in Chardonnay casks, but Iain confirmed that it had been fully matured in them. There are a number of other 'experimental' casks coming of age and Iain told us that we should look out for a couple of other wine cask releases, most notably an eight year old single 'Chenin Blanc' wine cask, and a 14 year old Portwood - unfortunately there wasn't any on the stand, and I haven't seen any to date either. 

I haven't been able to find any 'official' tasting notes, and this expression isn't listed on their website which doesn't appear to have been updated for a couple of years at least. The bottle and tube carry limited notes which state "The full maturation in Chardonnay casks create distinctive fruity butterscotch flavours and as the whisky mellows, slighty toasted notes develop

So what did I think?

We were really blown away with this whisky, and I was really pleased to receive a bottle of this for my birthday not long after the show, so have had plenty of time to get to know the whisky since.

The Chardonnay elements are clearly noticeable when uncorking the bottle, very 'winey' just for a second or two before the fruity butterscotch vanilla notes take over. The nose is oozing vanillas. It reminds me of butterscotch flavoured 'Angel Delight', something I haven't eaten since the children were little. It's sweet and creamy; Cornish ice cream, the fruit comes in by way of lots of sweet white grapes, then a biscuity malt, reminiscent of 'malted milk' and 'custard cream' biscuits.

On the palate the sweetness comes through with velvety and creamy softness that coats your mouth. The fruitiness of crisp green apples, crunch conference pears and the bunches of white grapes plus the sweetness of butterscotch and honey from the nose are also delivered upfront. The long finish however turns drier, black tea tannins, and spicier with more woodiness and a touch of white pepper, which brings balance to the overall experience and stop the whisky feeling too sweet. This is another light and refreshing 'summery' dram, is dangerously drinkable and at around £25 a bottle is another 'bang for your buck' whisky.