Glen Moray Fired Oak is a 10 year-old experimental whisky matured in bourbon barrels and then finished in heavily charred virgin oak casks. The least you can say is that Glen Moray is doing their best to bring out interesting experiments, like the Glen Moray Cider Cask Project before.
The official tasting notes mention amplified notes of vanilla, spice and smoky wood, so I expect it to be closer to American bourbon whiskey perhaps?
Glen Moray 10 yo Fired Oak
(40%, OB 2018)
Glen Moray 10 yo Fired OakNose: sweet fruity notes to the fore here, lots of apple notes with a light marshmallow / cotton candy touch. Apricots and oranges. Vanilla and the typical virgin oak fragrance. Rose pepper and cinnamon pastry. Fairly vibrant and really nice.
Mouth: again a candied fruity layer (apples, apricots), now with slightly zesty citrus (orange peel). Dried pear. The baking spices are much bigger now: vanilla, pepper, nutmeg. It’s got a bit of a sawdust character too, making this hotter than you’d expect from 40%.
Finish: drier, with liquorice and a hint of charcoal.
Kind of a bourbon barrel maturation on steroids, but still less than an actual bourbon whiskey. Works really well on the nose, but perhaps a little less balanced on the palate. Good experiment though. Only available in the UK, try The Whisky Exchange for instance.
Score: 83/100