A couple of months ago we tasted an exceptional Ledaig selected by Detti & Spiriti, a wine shop in Pavia with a long and prestigious history behind it – today we are going back to their selections, and we are drinking a Glen Moray 11 years old, first fill bourbon barrel (#5896, for the more curious), bottled at a reduced abv of 44%.
N: very fresh and fruity, seems like a perfect young Speysider in bourbon: we have the notes of the barrel, with vanilla, yellow fruit, banana ice cream, vanilla pudding. Icing sugar, nice. Paradise cake. Then there is the distillate, with a very refreshing herbaceous and candied fruit component, not overly marked. Great balance, a pleasant nose – without peaks of absolute excellence, but really easy.
P: fairly consistent, with an added dimension of fresh milk. It remains very drinkable and easy, without too many frills: we have notes again of banana, cream pastry with vanilla and fruit; we have incredible pear (also pear juice, sweet). More sugar. However, it soon tends to turn dry, with a growing herbaceous part and notes of walnut, almond, lemon kernel.
F: still very consistent, all about pear and slightly bitter notes.
An excellent example of the distillery’s style at this age: the nose is very good and promising, pleasant, sweet and fruity, with the fruit of the distillate and the vanilla of the cask marrying perfectly; the palate remains consistent, only halfway through tending towards the herbaceous and bitter. Very Glen Moray, definitely: the alcohol content does not make it trivial, but rather facilitates the approach, and overall it is a full-bodied whisky, with good body, which is very pleasant to drink – and isn’t pleasantness what we are most looking for? 83/100. Thanks to Diego for the sample!
Recommended soundtrack: SUPERTELE – XXmas.
