Glen Moray Mastery was Graham Coull's farewell to the Elgin distillery he had guided for sixteen years as master distiller. Released in 2019, shortly before he departed for Dingle in Ireland, it is a multi-vintage marriage drawing on some of the oldest stock in the Glen Moray warehouses — a piece of work rather than a simple bottling.
Coull assembled Mastery from four cask types: ex-bourbon, sherry, port and Chenin Blanc, some of the component whiskies stretching back several decades. Bottled at a natural 52.3% ABV without chill filtration, it carries the weight of its sources honestly. The nose is rich and composite — sherry raisin first, then port fruit, honey, the caramelised sugar of crème brûlée and a lift of oak spice.
On the palate the layers are clearly laid out by a hand that knew what it was doing. Dark fruit and chocolate from the sherry, orange marmalade and old oak beneath, brown sugar binding the whole thing together. The high strength gives it the grip that long-aged whisky at 43% sometimes lacks, and the finish is long and warming, sherry and spice folding into a waxy sweetness at the very end.
Mastery is a valedictory whisky, and like most such things it bears the personal stamp of the man who made it. For those who had come to know Glen Moray under Coull's stewardship — a period in which the distillery's range expanded considerably while its character remained intact — this is a fitting signature. One does not buy it for the number on the side. One buys it for the craft.
