Glengoyne 15 Years Review

“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  

Jura 10 Years Review

“Simple and Clean”

Country: Scotland 

Region: Highland - Islands - Jura

Brand: Jura 

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 10 Years

ABV: 40 %

 On the Ferry to Jura!

Colour: Golden Amber (Contains Caramel)

Nose: It strikes me that I don't get the unpleasant Cooked Vegetables Note I find in some of the other Jura Expressions like the 16 and the Superstition. The 10 Years has a Light, Sweet and Uncomplicated Nose with Caramel, Toffee, Marzipan, light Honey, Dried Fruits, Malt, White Bread Dough, Caffe Latte, light Orange Marmalade, Pear in Vanilla Sauce, Straw, Dusty Roads, Nuts, Oak, light Spices, Salt and a trace of Leather. It's not remarkable but it doesn't present any real Off Notes as well. It's a pity that the Alcohol is rather present and not well integrated. The Milky Note that I have described as Caffe Latte vaguely reminds me of light Baby Vomit from time to time but it's not strong enough to be considered a true Off Note. 

The Mash Tun

Palate: Thin and Watery Delivery. Less Sweet than I expected. I find Malt, Nuts, Toffee, Fudge, light Honey, Orange Peel, light Leather, Salt, Pepper, Apple Vinegar, light Vanilla, light Milk Chocolate, Licorice, Aniseed, light Menthol, Dry Earth, Dried Herbs and light Leather.

The Wash Backs

Finish: Quite Short, Medium Sweet, Malty and Nutty with Honey, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Orange, Oak, Salt, Pepper, Nutmeg and light Licorice.

Head, Heart & Tail

I added a bit of Water and you get more Milk, Malt and Toffee on the Nose. But Palate and Finish do not benefit from the added Water. Better sip it Neat.

Rating: 80

Nose: 20.5 - Taste: 20 - Finish: 19.5 - Overall: 20 

The Distillery Baking in the Sunshine!

General Remarks: The Jura 10 Years or Origin is the Standard Expression of the Distillery and sells at around 40 US Dollars. It matures in Ex-Bourbon Casks.

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay/Good

Conclusion: It's not a big Single Malt by all means but better than I expected. I didn't get any of the Cooked Cabbage on the Nose and the 10 Years in Refill Bourbons Casks provide the Malt with a clean feel. The Nose is actually quite acceptable. But on the Palate the Jura 10 Years is too Thin to leave a lasting Memory. And the Finish is short and forgettable as well. The Miniature I used for this Nosing and Tasting Session was bought around 2 years ago and it does not mention "Origin" on the label. So it could be it was bottled 3-5 years ago. The Label doesn't give any additional information in this respect. If you have just started to enjoy Whisky, you will find the Jura 10 Years to be utterly drinkable and highly accessible. If you want a bit more adventure however I advise you to go for the Jura Prophecy instead.

The Stills

Some Data: Jura means Deer Island. The Distillery is located in the small village of Craighouse the island's "capital". Craighouse lies on the A 846, some eight miles from the Ferry Terminal to Islay. It was founded in 1810 and since 1993 it belongs to Whyte & Mackay Ltd. Jura is mostly known as a Single Malt but it's also a very important part of the Whyte & Mackay Special Blend. The Distillery possesses 1 Stainless Steel Semi Lauter Mash Tun, 6 Stainless Steel Wash Backs and 2 Pairs of Stills. In 2013 their total production amounted to around 2,2 million litres.

Some of the Wood

The water for the distillery is sourced from the Bhaile Mhargaidh Spring . From April to September, the Distillery opens from Monday - Friday from 10.00 to 16.00 hours and on Saturday from 10.00 to 14.00. From October to March it only opens from Monday to Friday from 11.00 to 14.00. Despite the remote location, the distillery is visited by around 10.000 people annually. The Standard Tour is Free.

The Cosy Shop

We visited Jura on Saturday May 17, 2014. Unfortunately it rained again for most of the day. To get to the Distillery you have to take the expensive five minutes Ferry from Port Askaig. Be sure to arrive at the Terminal in time because sometimes it sails a couple of minutes earlier and you might get stuck for an hour or so. Yes, it happened to us on the way back! Once you arrive at Jura you'll have to negotiate a narrow road (A 846) for around 8 miles to reach the Distillery. The Tour is so so and the Distillery looks a bit messy at places. At least during our visit. At the end of the Tour we had a look at the cosy little Shop where we had the 16 Years and the Prophecy. 

Jan van den Ende                                                      September 15, 2014

Sail Away Sail Away Sail Away!