I'll be honest — when I first saw "Peated Tequila Finish" on a Speyside whisky label, I raised an eyebrow. Glen Moray isn't exactly known for pushing boundaries, and combining peat with tequila cask maturation is the kind of move that either works brilliantly or falls flat on its face. This Warehouse 1 Release, distilled in 2014 and bottled at a punchy 58.5% ABV, lands firmly in the former camp. It's weird, it's bold, and it's genuinely interesting whisky.
What We're Working With
Let's break this down. You've got a Speyside single malt — traditionally a region known for approachable, fruit-forward drams — that's been peated during malting and then finished in ex-tequila casks. That's three distinct flavour influences fighting for attention in one glass. The cask strength bottling at 58.5% means nothing has been dialled back. This is the whisky as it came out of the barrel, no compromises.
The 2014 vintage puts this at roughly ten years old, give or take, depending on the bottling date. That's a decent amount of time for those competing influences to find some harmony. The Warehouse 1 Release designation suggests this is part of Glen Moray's single cask or limited selection programme — small batch stuff that doesn't follow the usual playbook.
At £93.50, you're paying a fair price for cask strength whisky with this kind of unusual finishing. Comparable cask strength Speyside releases from other distilleries often sit north of £100, so there's genuine value here for what you're getting.
Tasting Notes
I'd recommend spending time with this one. At 58.5%, a few drops of water will open it up considerably — don't be a hero and drink it neat on the first pour. The combination of peat smoke and agave-influenced cask character creates something genuinely unlike most Speyside whiskies I've encountered. This isn't Islay-level peat; think of it more as a gentle smokiness that weaves through the spirit rather than dominating it. The tequila cask influence brings a character you simply don't get from standard bourbon or sherry finishes.
The Verdict
I'm giving this a 7.6 out of 10. It earns that score because it takes a real risk and pulls it off. The peated-plus-tequila-finish combination could easily have been a gimmick, but there's substance behind the concept. It's well-made whisky that happens to be doing something different, rather than a novelty bottling coasting on its own weirdness. Where it loses a point or two is that this kind of experimental profile won't suit every occasion — it's a whisky that demands your attention, and sometimes you just want something straightforward.
For whisky drinkers who've worked through the standard Speyside lineup and want something that genuinely surprises, this is worth your money. It's also a brilliant conversation starter if you're the kind of person who likes putting unusual bottles in front of friends and watching their reaction.
Best Served
Pour it neat first, then add water gradually — I'd suggest starting with three or four drops and building from there. At 58.5%, this whisky transforms with dilution, and finding your sweet spot is half the fun. If you're feeling adventurous, try it in an Old Fashioned with a mezcal rinse on the glass — the smoky agave notes in the whisky will play beautifully with that extra layer of smoke. Use a raw sugar syrup and an orange peel, nothing more. Let the whisky do the talking.
