Experts in ageing
We have been exploring how different casks can transform our single malt whisky for more than 120 years. Records show that the very first Glen Moray, distilled in 1897, was aged in an unusually wide variety of casks. Today, we still mature our whisky in an array of casks, to bring many different flavours to our classic Speyside style. Read on to discover our craftsmen's secrets.
Cask exploration
According to the laws of whisky, spirit must be matured in oak casks, for at least 3 years to be classed as Scotch. Oak is the perfect companion for Glen Moray's spirit, smoothing out any harshness and shaping its light, fruity character, over time. And we don't stop at 3 years. Some of our whisky remains in its casks for 20 years or more.
Most Glen Moray begin life in specially selected American oak casks, previously used to age bourbon. These casks help to make our whisky more fruity, complementing our spirit with bourbon's vanilla notes and wood flavours. Of course, as is our tradition, we also age our whisky in a host of other casks, such as European oak, in which sherry or wine has been matured. These casks show a very different side to Glen Moray.
Each time we use a cask, it brings different flavours to our whisky. For instance, first-fill bourbon casks (filled with Scotch whisky for the first time), offer Glen Moray more of those vanilla and caramel notes. When we use casks a second time (they're known as refill casks), our whisky gains a more subtle oakiness, revealing more of our spirit's style. Our Master Distiller carefully brings together whisky aged in these different styles of casks, to craft our Classic single malt.
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The finishing touch
We source our bourbon casks from a single distillery in Kentucky, the heartland of bourbon. It is their wood which shapes the character of our Classic single malt whisky, our 12 Year Old and our 18 Year Old.
Meanwhile, the port casks which bring elegance and complexity to our Port Cask Finish, come from Porto Cruz, the world's No.1 port brand, in Portugal. And the casks in which our sweet, spicy limited-edition Rhum Agricole Cask Finish is aged, are from Martinique's St James distillery - the No. 1 Rhum Agricole in the world.
