The Glen Moray distillery started out as the West Brewery (founded in
1828), but in 1897 it was converted into a whisky distillery with two stills.
Glen Moray was operational until 1910 when it was closed. It was briefly
reopened in 1912 but closed again the same year, after which the distillery
remained silent for almost a decade.

In 1920 Macdonald & Muir (who already owned a share in Glenmorangie)
bought Glen Moray after the distillery found itself confronted with financial
problems. The new owners (who were offered to buy Aberlour at the same
time but chose Glen Moray) managed to resume production in 1923. With
the exception of the year 1932 when no whisky was produced at all, the
distillery remained in production until 1958 when it was reconstructed.

When the Glen Moray distillery was rebuilt in 1958 the traditional floor maltings were replaced with a so-called Saladin box, which remained in use for two decades. In 1978 the malting at the distillery ceased altogether and one year later the number of stills was expanded from two to four.
 
In 1996 Macdonald & Muir Ltd. changed their name to Glenmorangie plc.
This was indicative for a stronger focus on the Glenmorangie brand, a focus that grew even stronger when Glenmorangie plc was sold to purveyors of luxury products Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey in 2004. So, it didn't really come as a surprise when Louis Vuitton announced in 2008 that they wanted to withdraw from the production of malt whisky for blends altogether.
This meant that they wanted to sell the Glen Moray distillery.

When I write this update of the profile (in February 2009)
the ownership situation is a little bit murky (possibly due
to the American credit crisis reaching European shores),
so I'll get back to the ownership question later on.
 
When Glenmorangie and Glen Moray were still owned by
the same company, Glen Moray's portfolio was expanded
along the lines of earlier Glenmorangie brand extensions;
'finished' whiskies. Some five years after Glenmorangie
launched its Port, Madeira and Sherry finishes in 1994
Glen Moray followed suit with a Chardonnay finished
expression without an age statement and two Chenin
Blanc bottlings, one of them twelve years old and the
other one slightly older at sixteen years old.

I have to admit that it was around the same time that I fell out of love with Glen Moray.
During the 1990's I've consumed many bottles of the regular Glen Moray 12 years old, depicted at
the right. It wasn't a real 'high flyer', but a very decent malt whisky with a very decent price tag.
The friendly price guaranteed the Glen Moray 12yp a spot on my Bang-For-Your-Buck List of single
malts with a good relation between price and quality. However, by the turn of the millennium the
aforementioned 'finishes' appeared and most of the Glen Moray portfolio lost its charm for me.
The recent releases (especially the younger ones) didn't excite me as much as they used to...

Glen Moray's portfolio was rejuvenated.
If I'm not mistaken, the 12 years old OB depicted
above was the youngest bottle in the range during
the 1990's, but these days the standard Glen Moray
is the 'classic' - presumably circa eight years old. This
fits with ongoing attempts from 'the industry' to try to
encourage consumers to get accustomed to younger
and blander whiskies. They're not upfront about this,
though. In 2008 the Glen Moray website said;

1) The Glen Moray distillery is located near the historical Fort George, just below the Gallowcrook Hill (where, until the end of the 17th century, executions were carried out).

2) The original road into Elgin (the capital of Speyside) passes through the distillery grounds.
This used to be an important road and some historical figures are said to have travelled along it, including Macbeth, Saint Columba, King Duncan and Bonnie Prince Charlie.

3) According to their website, Glen Moray exclusively uses ex-bourbon barrels from North America to mature the Glen Moray malt whisky. These are said to produce a whisky with rich and spicy characteristics, delivering a superior product that has a smooth and well-rounded taste.

4) March 2009 Update: It has been six months since French company La Martiniquaise showed interest in the distillery and a so-called 'Heads of Terms agreement' for the sale of Glen Moray was signed. However, shortly after a press release concerning the agreement was sent out in September 2008, the credit crisis hit Europe with full force.
One could imagine this could throw a wrench into the negotiations, but La Martiniquaise confirmed that the deal went ahead and the sale was completed on October 31, 2008.
 

Glen Moray 12yo (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2007)
Nose: Prickly. Chloride. Some subtle fruits (kiwi) emerges after a while. Not as 'round' as it used to be.
Taste: Chalk and yoghurt - I'm afraid that's all my notes say. So, not too expressive I guess.
Score: 70 points - this old favourite has now ended up at the bottom of the 'average' bracket.

Glen Moray NAS 'Chardonnay' (40%, OB, Bottled +/- 2001)
Nose: Sweet and sour. Yeast or dough? Some oil in the background as well. It has a very distinct fruity element.
It reminds me of a young white wine or grappa. Smokier, spicier and peatier after five minutes.
Taste: Sweet and malty on the palate. A little nutty. Not very powerful.
Alcoholic. Quite flat, to tell you the truth. Dry and winey finish. Unbalanced.
Score: 71 points - Nice, but it lacks depth and complexity. Light and accessible.

Glen Moray 12yo 'Elgin Classic' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 1999)
Nose: Heather with a dash of sherry. Some smoke; a little peat later on. Slightly smoky?
Sweet. Grassy? Some very faint citrus notes after 10 minutes. Really opens up.
Taste: A warm glow; very malty. Rather smooth and creamy. A little too dry in the finish.
Score: 75 points - too bad it was replaced with the 'Chenin Blanc' version.

Glen Moray 12yo 'Chenin Blanc' (40%, OB, 'Mellowed in Wine Barrels', Bottled +/- 2001)
Nose: Faintly oily with a few woody notes. Soft sweetness. Peppery.
Some salt after a while. More 'winey' after a few minutes. Oily with something reminding me of sweet cakes.
Taste: Round and smooth at first. Some sweetness. Then bitter and sour. Oaky - more so than the 'classic'.
Very dry finish, a little gritty. This stuff makes you thirsty and go for a quick refill.
Score: 72 points - the finish of the Chenin Blanc version is oakier than that of the older 'classic' version.

Glen Moray 12yo 'Elgin Classic' (43%, OB, Bottled +/- 1995, 70cl)
Nose: It displayed a fresh and round aroma. Sweets?
The bouquet triggered an overpowering flashback of heather in August.
Taste: Fresh and spicy, but unfortunately it disappeared too soon. Quite dry.
Score: 75 points - a nice autumn-malt at a very nice price, too. 

The Glen Moray 13yo 1980/1993 (43%, Master of Malt, Cask #80/81)
Nose: Grainy and a little oily - but altogether not very expressive. Something dusty?
Much lighter than any of the OB's I've tried - it has none of the 'malty' character.
Taste: Oy! A little soapy at first. Then sweeter and fruitier, followed by smoke.
Hmmm, despite a weak start it grows on me very quickly. Very pleasant mouth feel.
Score: 72 points - not a bad malt, but it loses points in the nose AND on the palate.
The nose has none of the warm and fuzzy maltiness I found in the old OB's of the 1990's.

Glen Moray 10yo (70° Proof, OB, Black label with vintage in red square, Bottled +/- 1980)
Nose: Sweet with a hint of raspberry. Very elegant. Drops off relatively quickly, though... Chartreuse.
Taste: Hmmm... Something 'herbal' (Jagermeister) I'm not too crazy about. Incredible body. Bitter finish.
Score: 80 points - making it the best Glen Moray I've tried so far. Gradually loses a few points over time.

These were not all the (official and independent) expressions of Glen Moray whisky I've tried over the years.
My Track Record used to contain a complete overview of all the single malts I've tried, but when I passed the 2000 malts mark (and the complete whisky list wouldn't fit on two separate HTML pages anymore) I gave up. My Liquid Log still contains my tasting notes on most single malts I've sampled and scored, though. You can find a specific expression through the search box at the top of each distillery profile. The mAlmanac now contains (purely personal) selections of some of the best single malts and the worst whiskies I've tried so far - as well as the ones with the highest 'Bang-For-Your-Buck' value. But those tasting notes and scores only reflect my own, purely personal opinions.

On Serge's distillery profile on Whiskyfun you can find another perspective on the whisky made at this distillery.
Check out the Malt Maniacs Monitor on Malt Maniacs for my scores on all expressions I've tried so far - and those of almost all the other certified malt maniacs as well. The Malt Maniacs Matrix contains a few thousand single malts that were sampled and scored by at least four different malt maniacs, so you can compare our individual opinions.
 

Well, that's the romantic fairy tale - or, to be more frank, a big fat fib! For one thing, it's highly likely that the ingredients have indeed changed; more and more of the barley to make 'Scotch' whisky is shipped in from abroad. And as far as the processes are concerned: those MOST DEFINITELY did not include the deliberate finishing of whisky in 'maturing' wine casks - as opposed to perhaps the accidental finishing in a 'transport' wine cask.

"Glen Moray Distillery nestles on the banks of the River Lossie in the city of Elgin, the capital of Speyside, a region synonymous with malt whisky. Glen Moray Single Malt Whisky has been distilled here since 1897 by a small dedicated team of craftsmen. In over a century of distilling at Glen Moray, much has changed, however the ingredients, processes and skills of those responsible for producing Glen Moray remain constant."