Glen Moray unveils the 2008 Manzanilla Finish, Warehouse 1’s final expression for 2021 – Scotch Whisky News
Glen Moray unveils the 2008 Manzanilla Finish, Warehouse 1’s final expression for 2021
Glen Moray has today (29th November) released another Warehouse 1 treasure just in time for Christmas, the 2008 Manzanilla Finish. A stunning example of Warehouse 1’s innovation and experimentation, this very special dram is strictly limited to only 1240 cask-strength bottles.
The Manzanilla Finish celebrates the distilling team’s creativity with a fresh, evocative and luxurious dram. It’s a partnership of river and sea, bringing together the soft Spey water of Glen Moray’s spirit with the slightly sea-salt tang of Manzanilla sherry, which is famously only ever produced along the sea estuary of the Guadalquivir river.
This beautiful whisky opens with sweet ripe pears, green apples and freshly cut grass; perfect for enjoying by the fire right now, but also an ideal companion for the longer, lighter spring nights to come.
Created in the evocative bodegas of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Cádiz, Manzanilla is the driest of all sherries. Afficionados swear it tastes of the sea, because the unique coastal conditions have a dramatic effect on the flor, as Glen Moray Brand Ambassador Iain Allan notes: ‘As distillers, this notion of ‘place’ is endlessly fascinating, particularly as our home of Speyside is so much a part of the Glen Moray story.
We started to wonder what would happen if we brought Glen Moray spirit and Manzanilla casks together? If Speyside met Cádiz in the barrel, what would the results be? Soft with salt? Citrus with herbaceous? Questions like these can get the team quite animated, to say the least, but only time can ever answer their restless curiosity – and these results have been worth waiting for. This is an exceptional whisky which represents the best of two very different worlds in one unique malt.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Pale gold
Nose: initially very soft, evoking sweet ripe pears, green apples and fresh cut grass. Lively and vibrant, with background hints of camomile tea.
Taste: clean fruit gives way to drier oak spice. A luxurious mouthfeel leads back around to the herbal characteristics first introduced on the nose.
Finish: long, lingering and savoury, with characteristic Manzanilla salt accents.
I’m thrilled that it’s closing out an exceptional year for the relaunched Warehouse 1. But of course, innovation doesn’t take time off for Christmas – we’re already well ahead in planning our 2022 expressions. We can’t wait to share some very special whisky in the year ahead.”
Glen Moray Warehouse 1 2008 Manzanilla Finish is bottled at cask strength (54.6% ABV), non-chill filtered and with natural colour. It is a UK exclusive, available in 70cl packs in specialist whisky shops, RRP £74.95
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ABOUT GLEN MORAY
Glen Moray is one of Scotland’s best loved single malt whiskies. It has been crafted since 1897 in the ancient town of Elgin, the capital of the Speyside whisky region, on what was once the Elgin West Brewery site on the banks of the River Lossie. Pure waters from the river, locally malted barley, distillation in traditional copper stills and maturation in American ex-bourbon casks combine to give the whisky its smooth, well-balanced, classic Speyside character. Glen Moray has always been a place where curiosity about flavour and cask maturation has been encouraged. Records dating back to the early days show new make spirit maturing in a wide variety of different casks – a highly unusual practice at this time.
A passion for experimentation and a deep knowledge of wood have been passed down through generations of Glen Moray distillers. The result is today’s exceptional and extensive range of whiskies, offering a flavour and style to suit all tastes. Glen Moray is the 5th biggest malt whisky brand by volume in the UK and is growing in international markets.
ABOUT LA MARTINIQUAISE-BARDINET
Founded by Jean Cayard in 1934, La Martiniquaise 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. The Group’s four pillars are Scotch whiskies, ports, brandies, wines, rums and craft spirits from France. www.la-martiniquaise.com
