Glen Moray Fired Oak Scotch Review

By Paer Johansson

Rating: C+

(Credit: Paer Johanson)

Glen Moray is a progressive Speyside distillery, found just outside the Scottish town of Elgin. It has an impressive range of whisky, from the Iglen classic series matured in different casks to the Eglin Reserve and the exclusive Glen Moray Mastery. The newest edition to their standard range is called “Fired Oak,” and is a 10 year old whisky matured in ex-Bourbon casks and finished in heavily charred virgin American oak. The choice of finishing the whisky in virgin oak comes from a desire to mimick the character of American bourbon, which must be aged in a new, charred (virgin) oak cask and draws much of its sweeter flavor from that source.

Described as ‘intensely sweet and smooth’, the whisky is bottled at 40% abv in the typical bottle shape of Glen Moray.

The Scotch
Fired Oak is light golden in color, with a slightly reddish tint. The legs are fast, and the feel of it oily.
On the nose, there are strong notes of vanilla essence floating on top of the alcohol, with sweet tones of Werther’s Original. After a while, a grassy under-current reveals itself together with hints of raspberries.

The taste is mild and pleasant with sweet liqorice toffee, followed by the classic Bourbon spiciness from the raw oak and a subtle flowery hint of lavender and heather.

An oily, mild flavor of liqorice, salt and spice follows and linger unobtrusively on the pallet for a long time.

This expression of Glen Moray is a pleasant combination of the fruitiness and flowery notes of Speyside with the sweet and spicy notes from virgin oak. Nothing extraordinary, but a pleasant, easily drunk dram.

The Price
Glen Moray Fired Oak goes for a price of just £39 per bottle in UK.