Speyside’s Best-Kept Secret: Glen Moray, Iain Allan, and the Art of Flying Under the Radar.
- T
- Sep 26
- 6 min read
There are distilleries that shout about their heritage, and then there’s Glen Moray - a Speyside stalwart that’s been quietly doing its thing since 1897, content to let the liquid do the talking. Founded in a converted brewery on the banks of the River Lossie, Glen Moray never chased the arms race of age statements or collector’s trophies. Instead, it has built a cult-like reputation on approachability, innovation, and a knack for cask experimentation that often borders on the mischievous. Chardonnay casks long before it was fashionable? Done. Rhum Agricole finishes that make purists squirm? Absolutely. Maple syrup casks so unruly they couldn’t even be called whisky? Why not.
If Glen Moray is the quiet kid at the back of the Speyside classroom, it’s the one secretly acing the exam while everyone else is shouting about their grades. That balance of modesty and daring owes much to Iain Allan, the distillery’s Global Brand Ambassador - who has just celebrated his 20th anniversary with Glen Moray.
Two decades on, Allan has become not just the voice of the distillery but its living archive, carrying stories that bridge warehouses, tasting rooms, and international stages.
With roots in visitor experiences and warehouses, he has evolved into Glen Moray’s voice abroad - part educator, part entertainer, and always a little bit subversive. He knows when to champion the classic 12-year-old as the comfort dram it is, and when to set off fireworks with a tequila-cask Warehouse 1 release.
In our conversation, Allan makes the case for Glen Moray as Scotch’s best-kept secret: a distillery that’s both democratic in price and ambitious in spirit. Whether pouring elegant Port Cask Finishes for a late sunset, embracing Japanese highballs abroad, or coaxing sceptics to rediscover the gentleness of a 40% dram, he embodies Glen Moray’s ethos - approachable but never simple, experimental but never gimmicky. It’s whisky with a wink rather than a swagger, and as Allan himself suggests, the motto could be as simple as: just enjoy it.
Glen Moray has often flown under the radar - unassuming yet quietly bold. Is that a strategy, a personality trait, or something more subversive?
Iain Allan: Flying under the radar is not something you particularly want to happen for your brand as you want to be heard amongst all the voices in choir, so it certainly isn’t a strategy. I think positioning from a price point perspective has meant that some may have ignored it. I was at a tasting recently and someone said they considered Glen Moray as a bit of a cult brand because those in the know, know its good quality for a great price…I will take that as we all know that cult movies are the best movies!
You’ve championed everything from chardonnay casks to Rhum Agricole finishes - what’s your guiding principle when saying “yes” to the unusual?
Iain Allan: Stephen Woodcock, who is our Head of Whisky Creation is really open to trying anything, the guiding principle around what we release is always the same- is it good! There is no point bringing something out if it is just different for the sake of being different.
With your background in the warehouse and your role today as the voice of Glen Moray worldwide, how has your palate - and patience - evolved?
Iain Allan: My background was from developing visitor experiences both at Glen Moray and the distillery I worked at previously. The move to being Global Brand Ambassador has very much been an evolution. I always say the job is the same - try to educate and inform about Glen Moray but make it fun at the same time…I’m not there to give lectures or cause death by Powerpoint presentations. I like to think I have always been a patient person, the one thing that has certainly changed is my confidence in presenting, its daunting going into a room a room of people that may have had a drink or two but now I positively look forward to it.
If Glen Moray expressions were moods, which dram would you pour after a long-haul flight? And which after good news and a late sunset?
Iain Allan: Great question! Long haul flight you just want something in a more comfortable chair (unless you are lucky enough to fly business). I would be looking for something I don’t have to think about and that is our 12yr…tremendous example of a Speyside single malt that just keeps it traditional. After good news you want something that is like someone setting off some fireworks, any of our cask strength Warehouse 1 releases ticks that box but the current tequila cask offering doubles down on that. Late sunset you want something elegant and complex the Glen Moray 21yr Port Cask Finish is all of that and more.
You often describe Glen Moray as approachable, but never simplistic. How do you strike that balance in both flavour profile and storytelling?
Iain Allan: We have a core range that we try to keep in the mould of the distilleries approachable character the complexity comes with the range of casks we use along with a spirit character that has an understated complexity built into it straight from the stills. When we start to push into bolder casks for limited editions the story comes from the evolution of the product- why we chose the casks, how they have developed and what was the reason to bring them out when we did.
Speyside is full of tradition - how does Glen Moray hold court without shouting or swagger?
Iain Allan: Speyside as you say, is full of tradition but it is also full of distilleries. Each and every one of them has their own story to tell, their own spirit character and the two combine to create a unique personality to the liquid and the brand. I like to think the quality of the whisky we produce along with an approachable price point helps us to attract the attention of not only the seasoned whisky drinker but also those who are maybe new on their journey through single malts.
In a world where distilleries race to release the rarest, the oldest, the loudest - what does Glen Moray quietly do better than anyone else?
Iain Allan: Cask Exploration. That’s our USP. Many distillers do experiment with different cask types but I like to think Glen Moray goes further than anyone else. This is best highlighted in two limited edition single cask releases where we brought out some of our spirit that had been finished in ex-maple syrup casks. This took our exploration across the boundary of scotch so we had to call it “Spirit Drink”. We have casks of so many wine varietals, sherry styles, port casks, madeira, cognac, brandy, beer, tequila, mezcal etc that I think our approach to seeing how cask influences our spirit is second to none.
You’ve walked audiences through Glen Moray’s DNA across continents - has any tasting moment abroad surprised you or changed how you talk about the spirit?
Iain Allan: When I first started I was very traditional in my approach to drinking whisky- not in a cocktail, no ice and just with a drop of water. This was 25yrs ago but as I have travelled and seen how people embrace our product but maybe not in the “traditional” way, I have certainly changed how I drink and also talk about it. Enjoying highballs in Japan or Old Fashioned’s in a Speakeasy in America wasn’t how I was “brought up” on whisky but I certainly enjoy now.
What expression do you find yourself defending most passionately - and why does it deserve more love?
Iain Allan: I don’t think it needs defending or more love as I think most enjoy it but I certainly fight the corner of our 12yr at 40%abv. I love this whisky and where it maybe needs some “defending” is with the more regular whisky drinking community who look for their drinks to be above 46% or even cask strength. I do love these higher abv products and love that we do more of them these days but there is always a place for a whisky that has the gentle sweetness and spice having that lighter approach.
Finally, if Glen Moray had a motto that wasn’t crafted by marketing - but whispered from cask to glass - what would it be?
Iain Allan: Our marketing team are amazing but good whisky doesn’t need good marketing, the liquid should speak for itself and I like to think ours does exactly that….so if there was to be a motto it would be “Just enjoy it!”.
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Words and questions by AW.
Answers by Iain Allan.
Photo courtesy of Glen Moray.
