Glen Moray 1998 Barolo Finish – ‘Warehouse 1’ exclusive for 2021
Glen Moray unwraps a new 1998 Barolo Finish as the second ‘Warehouse 1’ exclusive for 2021. This in-depth feature includes tasting notes.
The deep blue doors of Glen Moray’s ‘Warehouse 1’ released another hidden gem for whisky lovers to savour at The Whisky Show at the start of the month: the 1998 Barolo Finish, the second of three whiskies from the Warehouse 1 Collection scheduled for 2021.
Distilled in 1998, this beautiful dram was tucked away in the Elgin distillery’s celebrated warehouse to mature in ex-bourbon casks, before being transferred to three ex-Barolo casks for a final, flavourful finish.
The resulting dram is autumn in a glass, bursting with flavour and perfectly marrying Glen Moray’s traditional sweet toffee and blackcurrant notes with deliciously rich hits of wood, leather, chocolate caramels and dark autumnal fruits, followed by a warming honey finish.
Just 863 bottles are being released exclusively to the UK market, exemplifying Glen Moray’s adventurous and experimental approach to small batch whiskies bottled under the Warehouse 1 banner.
Barolo Finish is the oldest release from the Collection to date and is the second of three launches scheduled this year – following on from this summer’s successful Tokaji Finish release.
This year’s Warehouse 1 whiskies all share a common theme, celebrating Glen Moray’s classic Speyside spirit matured in casks sourced from some of Europe’s oldest, noblest and most distinctively flavoured wine varieties.
Considered by many to be the king of Italian red wines, Barolo is produced in the Piedmont region from Nebbiolo grapes, which are high in tannin and acid. Rich and full bodied, wine will have spent at least 18 months in the barrels used for final maturation of the Barolo Finish expression.
Glen Moray Distillery Manager Iain Allan notes:
‘Once again, our distillery team has bottled an absolute gem from Warehouse 1, their special place for experimentation, innovation and patience – time, as always, being one of the most important ingredients in creating our wonderful whiskies.
‘Our team searches the world for interesting and unusual casks, and they’re not afraid to use them to push the boundaries of flavour, as they have done with this very special 1998 Barolo Finish release.
It’s a joy of a dram, a superb combination of our distillery’s sweet, light, citrus style with deeper notes of wood, caramel chocolates, plums, figs, brambles and honey.
This is one to share around a table with good friends as the nights draw in – a rich, warming and very special dram from behind our big blue Warehouse 1 doors.’
Launched in late 2020 with the inaugural Sauternes Cask Matured expression, Glen Moray’s Warehouse 1 Collection promises small batch, limited release whiskies that are always non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength with natural colour.
Crafted since 1897 in the ancient town of Elgin, the capital of the Speyside whisky region, Glen Moray distillers have been curious about flavour throughout their history. Surviving ledgers show that a wide variety of casks were used to mature new make spirit back in those early days, which was an unusual practice for the time.
A deep knowledge and expertise of wood has developed at Glen Moray through generations of distillers, resulting in today’s exceptional range of whiskies with a style to suit everyone.
Let’s have a closer look at the release:
Glen Moray Warehouse 1 1998 Barolo Finish (Glen Moray’s Warehouse 1 Collection)
Tasting Notes (Supplied by Glen Moray):
Nose: A combination of sweet toffee and floral rose fading to a decadent aroma of caramel chocolates.
Taste: After an initial hit of tannic intensity, leather and wood combine to create a whisky of stature. Then, the sweeter elements begin to shine, with toffee-drizzled figs, dark plums and blackberries drizzled with cream.
Finish: Pure runny honey: gentle, sweet and lingering.
Personal tasting notes (Official sample kindly provided by Glen Moray through Burt Greener Communications)
Colour: Hot copper (natural colour)
Nose: A strong mixture of creamy caramel toffee infused with a bouquet of floral notes that adds chocolate for good measure.
Taste: A powerful hit of tannins combined with elements of oakiness and leather create a dram of substance. This is followed by sweet elements of autumnal stone fruit like plums and damsons, delicious warmed figs and ripe blackberries served with a good drizzle of rich, warm, salted caramel sauce.
Finish: A stylish, creamy mouth feel. Sweet, long-lasting and honey-rich.
The very fact that allowing the whisky to fully mature first in ex-bourbon casks prior to finishing in ex-Barolo casks has given the spirit time to interact, instilling it with a unique character.
In short, the maturation period has created a well-rounded layered classic dram. The rich hints of wood and the dark autumnal fruity notes added to the warming honeyed finish make it very accessible, at a reasonable price point.
ABV: 52.9%. Bottled at cask strength (and is non-chill filtered with natural colour).
RRP £139.95
It is a UK exclusive, available in 70cl packs in specialist whisky shops.