“Have Yourself a Merry Little
Glengoyne”
Country: Scotland
Region: Southern Highlands
Brand: Glengoyne
Type: Single Malt Whisky
Age: 15 Years
ABV: 43 %
Colour: Golden Amber
Nose: The Glengoyne 15 Years needs time in the Glass and Air contact to open up. After quite a while I find Sweet Rum Soaked Fruit Cake, Apple Pie, Sugar,
Honey, Sweet Barley, Vanilla, Blackcurrant Muffins, Christmas Spices, Citrus Peel, Oak, Floral tones and hints of Sherry, Sulphur, Mint and Fresh Cut Grass. The Alcohol is not fully integrated.
Palate: Sweet at first but leaning towards Dry near the end. I find assorted Nuts and Dried Fruits, Orange, Banana, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, light Sherry, light Pepper, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. At times it reminds me of Apple Pie and Whipped Cream as well. An ABV of 46% would have been perfect.
Finish: Middle-Long and quite Dry towards the end with Sweet Malt, Toffee, Milk Chocolate, Orange, Mandarin, Banana, light Vanilla, Oak, Nutmeg, Light Pepper as well as hints of a Dry Dirt Track.
I added a bit of Water and the Nose becomes slightly more Floral. I get some Stewed Apples as well. Palate and Finish do not benefit from added Water. My advise is to sip the Glengoyne 15 Years neat.
Rating: 84.5
Nose: 21.5 - Taste: 21 - Finish: 21 - Overall: 21
General Remarks: The Glengoyne Distillery was founded in 1833 by the known Edmonstone Family and is located in Dumgoyne by Killearn (Glasgow). Since 2003 it is owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers. Glengoyne has the slowest Distilling process of all Scottish distilleries to ensure lots of contact with the Copper Stills. The Barley is also dried exclusively with Hot Air. Peat is never used. Glengoyne is used in Blends like The Famous Grouse and Cutty Sark. The Glengoyne 15 Years matured in a mix of Ex-Bourbon Casks and new - and refill Ex-Oloroso Sherry Casks. It is part of the Standard Distillery Range that also includes the 10, 12, 18 and 21 Years. The Glengoyne 15 Years is naturally coloured and will cost you around 65 US Dollars.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion: The Nose of this Glengoyne brought me in an early Christmas mood with all its Rum Soaked Fruit and Spices. On the Palate and in the Finish it's Dry rather than Sweet with noticeable Oak and Spicy Notes. The 15 is of course a more mature version of the 10 and 12 Years. As always, tasting Whisky is a very personal thing. I scored this 15 Years slightly lower than the 10 Years as I miss a bit of the Freshness that the latter carries. Still, the 15 Years is a very nice Single Malt and not too expensive. So go for it if you fancy the Aroma and Flavour profile I have described above. Cheers!
Jan van den Ende September 18, 2014
2 comments:
I'm sure it's better than the 10 yo (which I did not taste). But I've never had any 12-15 yo so round and smooth. Even Oban 14yo or a Macallan 12yo, the epitome of smoothness, taste a bit harsh by comparison. Alcohol not completely integrated? Of course, you need to go 20yrs + for that.
Hi Tudval, thanks for your reaction! As I wrote, I think the 15 years is a nice Single Malt. I just liked the 10 years a little more because of its freshness. That's personal taste. If you prefer liquid Christmas pudding you would go for the 15 instead. In all my reviews I comment on the integration of the alcohol with the other aromas and flavours. Just to let everyone know what to expect. I don't quite agree with you that the Alcohol is only fully integrated after 20 years or so. It differs on a case by case basis! Cheers, Jan.
Post a Comment