Glen Moray Has A 120th Anniversary Malt Out

Recognizing the work of his predecessors to mark Glen Moray’s 120th anniversary, Glen Moray Master Distiller Graham Coull has selected five different vintages of Glen Moray to create “Mastery, The Ultimate Blend.” The result is a malt whisky described as having incredible depth and character, encapsulating the very essence of Glen Moray and steeped in the proud traditions of Speyside. Mastery was released on July 1st.

Three of the five vintages used were laid down by Graham’s Glen Moray forefathers, Robert Brown (manager from 1959-1987) and Edwin Dodson (manager from 1987-2005).  Two of Graham’s own vintages are in there too, as well as evidence of techniques first employed by Glen Moray’s original pioneers, James Haddow (manager from 1913-1927) and his son, Alexander Haddow (manager from 1927 -1959).

With great skill and finesse, Graham experimented to find the ultimate composition, using whisky matured in different fortified wine casks (sherry, madeira and port) to form the backbone of the 120th Anniversary release.

‘The 120th Anniversary Release celebrates the traditional craftsmanship of Glen Moray while raising a glass to the innovation of maturing in wine casks. Mastery is smooth, sleek and sophisticated.’

Graham Coull says, ‘The Madeira casks that we’ve chosen to form the heart of the whisky relate back to the genuine traditions of Glen Moray experimenting with different, innovative techniques in maturation. It’s me putting a twist on the spirit that was made by previous generations of master distillers.’

‘I wanted to bring in something from 1978, some of the oldest whisky in the warehouses, that represented whisky made by Robert Brown, the 3rd generation of Master Distiller, who was at the helm of Glen Moray from 1959 until 1987 as well as casks filled in the 80’s and 90’s by my predecessor, Ed Dodson.  We’ve intertwined these with whisky that has spent its full term in first-fill sherry casks and also a proportion that has been finished in port, to develop the layers of complexity in the overall bottling. The port finished whisky brings a little lightness, which we felt perfectly balances the more robust flavours of the sherry and madeira casks in the blend.’

Mastery is part of a 1,000 bottle releases, presented in individually numbered 70 and 75 cl decanters inside a leather-bound box. The whisky was bottled without chill filtration at cask strength of 52.3% ABV, and is priced at £800. The release will be available from Gordon & Macphail, The Dufftown Whisky Shop, Master of Malt, Whisky Exchange, Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile and the Glen Moray Distillery.