Merry Christmas!
Cadenhead’s are Scotland’s oldest independent bottlers, operating for over 175 years. Among their many legendary releases the ‘dumpy’ style bottles are probably the most desirable. Most of these were produced with brown glass and an iconic black label, with each distillery given its own letterpress font in homage to William Cadenhead’s early career in the printing business. Some were released in green bottles though.
In our glass today is Glen Moray distilled in December 1962 and bottled in July 1984. A brown version seems to exist as well, exported to the US. I’m not sure whether the whisky is exactly the same.
Glen Moray 21 yo 1962 (46%, Cadenhead 1984, green dumpy bottle)
Nose: not very forthcoming. Some linseed oil and wet hay, as well as leafy notes. Light chalky notes, as well as a faint hint of polished oak. Industrial wax. Old books in a dusty library. After a while a faint floral hint comes out. Hardly any fruits though.
Mouth: the oily, dusty style prevails, even though it got a little fruitier now. Oranges and lemons, leaving a sweeter mark but also a faint bitterness of marmelade. Interesting earthy notes and a vague peppery warmth (without the pungency). Overall really mild. Showing some honey and ripe apples. A gingery bite towards the end.
Finish: relatively long, with the same combination of earthy spice, orange peels and hay.
This is a relatively compact and shy Glen Moray. Some whiskies have nothing to blow your socks off, but still manage to keep you intruiged. So different from modern whisky. Thanks for the experience, Carsten.