Glen Moray

Introduction:

Glen Moray distillery in Speyside offers a range of official bottlings, including a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old expression. Wine barrel maturation, particularly in Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay casks, is a notable aspect. Independent bottlings are also available, with Duncan Taylor being a prominent independent bottler of Glen Moray whiskies. Glen Moray is also used in the Whisky Label 5 blend, owned by the distillery’s current owners, La Martiniquaise.

Production:

Glen Moray has a respectable production capacity of 2.3 million liters per year. The water used in production is sourced from the nearby River Lossie. An interesting feature of the distillation process at Glen Moray is that the condensers are located outside the stillroom.

Pot Stills:

Glen Moray operates two wash stills with a capacity of 9,900 liters each, and two spirit stills with a capacity of 5,800 liters each. Both the wash and spirit stills have a pear shape, shorter than average stills, with a wide base and thick neck. Until 1979, the distillery operated with one wash still and one spirit still before doubling the number of stills. The current pot stills were installed in 1992.

Maltings:

Initially, Glen Moray had its own floor maltings, which were replaced with a Saladin box in 1958. The Saladin box was used for two decades until malting operations ceased in 1978. The distillery now sources its maltings from an industrial site, but they are grown locally. The maltings used for whisky production are unpeated, although Glen Moray has started experimenting with peated maltings since 2009.

Warehouse:

Glen Moray offers a tour of its bonded warehouse, where visitors can see thousands of casks of Single Malt maturing. Transparent-ended casks are provided to showcase the “angel’s share” and how different charring techniques on the inside of a barrel can influence the whisky’s color. The distillery primarily uses ex-Bourbon casks from the United States for aging.

History:

Originally established as the West Brewery in 1828, the building later became a whisky distillery in 1897 under the ownership of Robert Thorne & Sons. After falling into disrepair, the distillery closed in 1910 and was purchased by Macdonald & Muir, owners of Glenmorangie distillery. Production resumed in 1923, with a break in 1932, and underwent significant reconstruction in 1958. Another expansion took place in the following decades, doubling the pot still count to four. In 1996, Macdonald & Muir changed its name to Glenmorangie plc. The distillery was later sold to the current owners, La Martiniquaise, in 2004.

Visitor’s Centre:

Glen Moray features an excellent visitor’s centre offering tastings, daily tours, and a well-stocked gift store.

Visitor information:

Glen Moray Distillery
Bruceland Road
Elgin
IV30 1YE
Tel: +44 (0)1343-550900
Email: visitor.centre@glen-moray.co.uk