Glen Moray Twisted Vine
Glen Moray Twisted Vine comprises single malt Scotch whisky, fully matured in ex-Cognac casks. Philip Day samples this latest expression of ‘Glen Moray’s smooth, balanced, Speyside whisky’, provides an overview of this UK-exclusive dram and shares his tasting notes.
Cognac casks
Fully matured in Cognac casks, this UK-exclusive Glen Moray single malt Scotch whisky has been given a delicious twist, bringing creamy, nutty, and spicy goodness to the classic Speyside spirit. Presented in a beautiful presentation box, inspired by twisted grape vines. Glen Moray Twisted Vine has been bottled and released just in time for the summer, making this the perfect gift for whisky lovers, old and new, who would love to unwrap a special dram to enjoy over the festival season.
Cask maturation
Pushing the boundaries of cask maturation, the new expression features Glen Moray’s smooth, balanced, Speyside whisky with the richness and depth of flavour that comes from full maturation in ex-Cognac casks: made from oak grown near Cognac’s vineyards in France.
The perfect marriage of spirit and cask wood ensures the resulting dram is sweet and woody with notes of dried fruit, nuts and spice, adding a luscious new dimension to the Elgin-based distillery’s popular, easy drinking dram.
Glen Moray
Inspiration for Twisted Vine came from celebrating Glen Moray’s long history as an explorer of unusual cask maturation, in which Glen Moray’s spirit is matured in casks sourced from some of Europe’s oldest, noblest and most distinctively flavoured wine, sherry and spirit varieties: a practice their teams have been pioneering right back to the Distillery’s origins in 1897.
The new whisky has been boldly packaged in Glen Moray’s signature blue, with a design that features shimmering golden grapes and the intricate twisted vines that are characteristic of France’s Cognac countryside.
Twisted Vine
Let’s have a closer look at the release:
Twisted Vine will sit alongside Glen Moray’s core expressions and will be supported over the summer by a new marketing campaign, which will see a series of creative UK partners put their own twist on traditional whisky serves and occasions.
Glen Moray Global Ambassador and Visitor Centre Manager Iain Allan said:
‘The record books show that Glen Moray was one of the first distilleries in Scotland to explore the effects of unusual casks on maturation of our spirit. This playful, pioneering approach to flavour is very much part of what drinkers love about our whiskies today, and it’s why we are so thrilled to be unveiling this wonderful new expression.
Twisted Vine is matured in Cognac casks, and all that extra time in such fruity, flavourful wood has created a stunning whisky with a rich but accessible flavour that can be enjoyed by everyone. It’s perfect neat as a dram, mixed in a cocktail or as a special gift for anyone looking to put a twist on their classic whisky serve.’
Tasting notes (Supplied by Glen Moray)
Nose: Freshly brewed coffee gives way to aromas of prunes in syrup, sweet raisins, nuts and toast.
Taste: A mouth-coating texture leads into notes of dried fruit, coffee, malt and wood spice, with tannin undertones.
Finish: Spicy hints of dark fruits slowly fade into a lingering sweetness.
Personal tasting notes
Nose: Engaging coffee aroma with sweet notes of soft toffee and pleasantly appealing fruity aromas with nutty elements in the background.
Taste: A stylish, creamy mouth feel. After an initial wave of caramel and honey combined with figs, sultanas, and other dried fruit, there is a strong hint of freshly toasted and buttered fruit teacake, leaving you with a subtly spiced oak undertone.
Finish: A satisfyingly well-balanced finish, with a slow fade of notes of creamy sweet stone fruits, toasted nuts and enticing wood spices.
Allowing the whisky to fully mature in the ex-Cognac oak casks has given the spirit time to interact, instilling it with a unique character. Thankfully the Cognac has not been allowed to overpower the basic DNA of the Glen Moray spirit. In short, the maturation period has created a genuinely well-rounded, layered, classic dram. The creaminess, sweetness and the spiced fruity notes make it very accessible, at a very reasonable price point.
ABV: 40% / 70 cl
RRP: £28
I was very surprised on tasting Twisted Vine that it tasted so good and would have expected to buy it from a specialist whisky shop, rather than a local supermarket.
Lovely stuff. Don’t miss out!
Glen Moray Twisted Vine will be available in Asda, Morrisons and Coop stores across the UK in addition to specialist whisky and spirits outlets. Bottled in 70cl at 40% ABV, RRP: £28.
The new whisky will also be available in the UK on-trade, and mixologists from four of the nation’s leading whisky bars have put their own twist on this versatile whisky to create a Twisted Vine cocktail in celebration of the launch.
Single malt fans can try one of these special Twisted Vine creations at the following:
- The Racketeer, London
- Nauticus, Edinburgh
- The Gate, Glasgow
- The Tippling House, Aberdeen
Glen Moray Cask Explorer since 1897
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 have developed at Glen Moray through generations of distillers, resulting in today’s exceptional range of whiskies with a style to suit everyone.
Glen Moray is the 5th biggest malt whisky brand by volume in the UK and is growing in international markets.
About Glen Moray and La Martiniquaise-Bardinet:
For most of its working history since 1924 Glen Moray was owned by Macdonald & Muir (which changed its name to the Glenmorangie Company Ltd. in 1996). In 2004, the French luxury goods group Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) bought Glenmorangie. In 2008, LVMH sold off the Glen Moray distillery to La Martiniquaise. It is currently managed by LMB-UK, the UK subsidiary of the French, family-owned business La Martiniquaise-Bardinet: the world’s 7th largest spirits group.
Founded by Jean Cayard in 1934, La Martiniquaise-Bardinet is an independent French spirits group with a large portfolio of international brands. Headquartered near Paris, the group operates in over 100 countries with 38 subsidiaries and production sites. Their industry-leading portfolio includes some of the world’s best-selling and best-loved brands across whisky, white spirits, brandies, rums, wines, ports and liqueurs. LMB-UK’s focus brands are the fast-growing top ten single malt whisky, Glen Moray; Cutty Sark blended whisky; Bardinet Brandy; the world’s No.1 port Porto Cruz; and the French craft liqueur brand Marie Brizard. Based in Scotland, LMB-UK is investing in growth and its team of spirits experts working across trade, sales and marketing, working alongside LMB production bases in Elgin (Glen Moray Distillery) and Bathgate (Starlaw Distillery).
For additional information see: www.la-martiniquaise.com
Address: Glen Moray Distillery
Bruceland Road
Elgin
IV30 1YE
Telephone: +44 (0)1343 550 900
Email: visitor.centre@glen-moray.co.uk
Facebook: @GlenMorayDistillery
Twitter: @GlenMorayDist
Instagram: glen moray whisky
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Press release provided by Burt Greener Communications
Images: Kindly provided with thanks by Burt Greener Communications