Glen Moray Elgin Classic Port Finish

This is the final review (for now) on my lower price point whisk(e)y reviews.  We have explored bourbon, rye and Irish thus far, so now it is time for a single malt Scotch.   In an attempt to keep it an apples-to-apples comparison, I selected another $30 bottle to see how a single malt matches up at that price point.

Glen Moray Elgin Classic is the entry level scotch for the Glen Moray product line.  This particular expression was fancied up with an 8-month finish in port pipes from Porto Cruz.  As a NAS statement we do not know the age of the base juice, just that it was aged in ex-bourbon barrels.

ABV: 40%

How it smells…Candied cherries, grassy, grape lollipops, overall very pleasing on the nose.

How it tastes…There aren’t a lot of stages to this one, it sort of rushes through all at once.  Starts light, watery and thin with the middle and end joining with some sweetness but there’s a harsh nail polish remover note in there as well.  Finishes in a whimper, leaving a bit of a bitter and dry aftertaste instead of a true finish.

Price…$30

Rating...🥃🥃

Final thoughts…Ok, so I really don’t like this, but you get what you pay for I suppose.  We stress tested the $30 price range and found some good bottles in bourbon, rye, and Irish whiskey, but $30 might be a bridge too far for single malt Scotch whisky.  Perhaps blends make more sense at this price range as one can hide/mask the deficiencies a little better, rounding out the rough edges.  The port finish on this adds minimal depth, but it’s still a very shallow whisky.  The 40% ABV doesn’t help the case either, making it even lighter, more watery, and more uneventful.  The cheap price point is what is really propping up the 2x’s 🥃 rating.