Glengoyne 25 Year Old

The Glengoyne is a distillery located in the Highlands region of Scotland. It is perhaps most famous for its use of slow distillation (which means that sulfides in the alcohol can be more optimally absorbed by copper) and for air drying the barley instead of using peat (which gives its whisky a clean taste with notes of toffee and apple without a single puff of peat smoke). Its core range consists of a growing number of expressions, including the cask strength, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21 year olds (reviewed here), and, the new 25 year old released in April 2014.

The Glengoyne 25 year old is matured for a quarter century in first fill ex-sherry casks, which is an increasingly rare and expensive practice because people do not drink as much sherry as they used to and as a result sherry casks are getting rarer while demand for them from distilleries increases. We are advised that sherry casks cost about 10 times more, on average, than bourbon barrels and that the vast majority of Scotch (95%) is now matured in ex-bourbon barrels because these barrels are much cheaper for distilleries to buy than sherry casks. Sherry matured whisky is therefore increasingly rare, and, as a result, the Glengoyne 25 year old is a rare pleasure. If only 5% of Scotch whisky is matured in sherry casks, then the Glengoyne 25 year old in my view sits near the very top of a very exclusive club! 

On each nosing and tasting of the Glengoyne 25 Year Old the resonating sound of BB King’s Lucille guitar echoes in my mind – smooth, powerful, charismatic, unique, timeless. That Is precisely what captures the essence of this whisky, as its rich overtones of sherry wood meld beautifully with the clean Glengoyne style – smooth, powerful, charismatic, unique and timeless. The wood notes in this whisky are a testament to the fine work being done at the distillery in terms of cask selection and reinforces in my mind at least the traditional edge of Scotch in the world of whisky – you can’t hurry love, because studies suggest that the compounds in oak need to break down to release optimal flavours and that takes time, sweet time. This is not a woody whisky. It is a mature Scotch. At £250 it is certainly on the higher end of the spectrum but it is important to remember that it has sat for a quarter century in increasingly rare sherry casks. In the words of BB King himself:

“You only live but once, and when your died your done, so let the good times roll.”

This whisky may have scored 97 points in a blind tasting which included some of its peers of a similar age, but when savouring this fine dram with the soothing sound of some classic Blues the good times roll to a solid 98 - a delight! 

Nose: Big medium-dry sherry notes accompany vanilla, cocoa, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, burnt orange, orange zest marmalade, dried dark fruit (dried fig, raisin) and grilled stone fruit with hints of balsamic and green peppers. As the whisky rests its aromas develop with notes of salty goats cheese, scorched almonds, banana bread, honey and occasional flashes of a refreshing gust of crushed peppermint fisherman’s friends. With more time, even more aromas develop with chocolate brownie, caramel, toffee, toothpaste (in a good way), star anise, Brazil nuts and the dry sugary gust of English style pot still rum. The bouquet on this whisky can keep me entertained for an hour, and over that time hints of different aromas sparkle. Amazing.

Taste: So graceful and smooth, the whisky expresses rich dark chocolate, sherry and dried fruit as calming waves of vanilla carry sparks of spice, crushed nuts and zesty sugary marmalade. This is an impeccably balanced full flavoured fruit cake on the palate with the gradual development of a spicy sweet heat that is the unmistakable magic of European oak sherry wood.  

Finish: Cinnamon, pepper and other spices emerge with more dominance than on the palate, glistening in the fog of sherry wood, dried dark fruit and glazed cherries, candied orange peel and shaved citrus rind with the most curious lingering taste of a medium-dark ale. This is absolutely brilliant that the flavours of the barley still shine, despite 25 years maturation in first fill sherry casks. The finish is long and progressively drying.  

Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or Single malt
Score:	91/100
ABV:	46%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium
Texture:	Silky
Balance:	Superb
Best served: Cask:	Neat  Bourbon casks, finished in Sauternes 'Barriques'
Theme(s):	White wine, peach, almond, raisin, vanilla, pastry/bakery (hot cross buns), chocolate, orange zest, cinnamon, spice, raisin, wooded
Tasting notes:	The Glenmorangie Nectar D’Or is matured in bourbon casks, and then finished in Sauternes 'Barriques' to help infuse the whisky with some flavours from that particular style of wine. Sauternes is a sweet French wine made from  semillion, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle grapes affected by botrytis cinerea (otherwise known as “noble rot”) which makes the grapes raisined and therefore concentrates the flavour.  This particular whisky therefore has the foundation of vanilla, coconut and raisin from the ex-bourbon American oak, but with overtones of sweet white wine that produce a nutty almond like twist with hints of peach, orange zest and dashes of spice. Nose: Creamy barley is interlaced with crushed biscuit, shavings of orange zest and crushed cinnamon with sharp whips of spice loaf softened by raisin filled bread and butter pudding. Taste: The soft barley emerges with buttery hot cross buns, waves of chocolate orange, wood vanilla and sweet winy notes which emit Riesling with peach and almond overtones. The wood and sweet wine begin to dominate at mid-palate with more spice, and accompany an increasingly tannic and bitter finish. Finish: The chocolate darkens, balancing against the sweet wine notes as the wood remains dominant with hints of honeycomb, coconut, menthol, peppery papaya and a resurgence of the cinnamon. This is an interesting whisky because it has quite a strong sauternes influence which is counterbalanced by the bitter wood notes that gradually intensify toward the finish – powerful flavours that may possibly be amplified as a result of the signature Glenmorangie light style which quietly sit beneath the storm of character from the oak. It is therefore nicely balanced and certainly recommended for wine drinkers! The whisky itself is certainly more dominant on the nose but on the palate the wood and wine influence dominate at mid-palate and into the finish.
Likes:	Complex, interesting winy twist
Dislikes:	Too much wood from the Sauternes 'Barriques'
Price:	$85 (Aus)

Glengoyne Cask Strength

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glengoyne Cask Strength Single malt whisky
Score:	94/100
ABV:	58.9%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Medium
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Silky, creamier with water
Balance:	Near perfect
Best served: Cask:	Neat, with a dash of water 1st fill sherry cask
Theme(s):	Youthful, clean, creamy, crushed biscuits, wholemeal, cooked apple/pear, hints of spice, digestive biscuits, custard, brown sugar, English style overproof rum, sweet ethanol ("hearts"), drying oak driven finish. With water: fruitier, sweet mint, less sharpness, hints of raisin cake, chocolate, weak cappuccino, sweeter more prominent sherry without the woody finish as at cask strength
Thoughts:	What a curiosity. The Glengoyne Cask Strength beams with clean youthfulness lacking in rough edges and yet projects layers of complexity without heavy woodiness. I think the clean nature of this whisky is in part the result of Glengoyne's tradition of air drying barley and allowing alcohol vapours to have a lot of contact with copper through slow distillation thereby allowing the copper to absorb sulfides in the alcohol and accentuate esters. However, beyond that, there is something more interesting about this whisky in my opinion: golden cuts and sherry wood. That clean sweet ethanol, youthful and lacking in rough edges with heavy notes of crushed biscuit, indicates to me at least that this whisky is made up of carefully selected cuts that have matured in carefully selected and highly aggressive sherry wood (first fill, for example) for the right amount of time. The result is a whisky that does not need to hide behind the wood, as its raw ingredients shine with mild shimmers of sherry that gradually intensify into a drying sherry wood finish. Delicious. With water, it morphs into a fruitier, sweeter, more rounded and plump sherried beauty without the degree of dryness or wood notes noticed at cask strength. (For an explanation of distilling, copper, cuts, wood etc, please see: Malt Mileage Guide to Spirit Making).
Tasting notes:	Nose: The bouquet is immediately sweet, creamy, youthful and complex. The sweetness of baked apple, raisins and sherry accompany undercurrents of sugary English style overproof rum (Holey Dollar Gold Coin, Inner Circle Green Dot etc) and layers of banana and walnut loaf, as hints of mint and creamy vanilla soften sparks of pepper, struck matches and the always present cereal notes that present themselves in the form of buttered crushed biscuits, wholemeal and dried oats. This is hugely impressive, and the sweet smell of ethanol - a distiller's prize alcohol - indicates that this whisky comprises of some golden cuts and clean hearts.  With water: The fruit and sugars become more rounded, as that sharp rum suddenly vanishes and is replaced by raisin cake, mild chocolate and a weak watery cappuccino. The mint sweetens with anise seed notes, as the sweet ethanol shines. This is an example of great distilling and cask selection.  Taste: Crisp, powerful, clean and bursting with character. Custard and banana notes emerge first with brown sugar and crushed biscuits (similar to cheesecake base). At mid-palate the dryness begins to intensify, as the burst of overproof English pot still rummy character develops together with more tart acidic fruit and dry wood.  With water: Rummy, the English pot still rum character remains but it is softer with more fruit notes, Christmas cake and sherry. With a dash of water the sherry wood really opens up, projecting mostly cocoa and sweet sugary sherry.   Finish: The sharp oak driven character becomes more dominant, with denser sugars, syrupy complexity and a drying spicy finish.  With water: Long, again with the sherry and dark chocolate take a leading role with raisin. The drying woody finish as at cask strength is less pronounced as the sherry and fruit take over.
Likes:	Beaming youthfulness without the rough edges and complexity without heavy woodiness - very rare indeed.
Price:	£45 (UK), $100 (Aus)

Glengoyne 21 Year Old

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glengoyne 21 Year Old  Single malt whisky
Score:	95/100
ABV:	43%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium-oily
Balance:	Superb
Best served: Cask:	Neat Sherry oak
Theme(s):	European oak, sherry, barley, Christmas cake, creamy, dark chocolate, dense citrus, honeyed oats, fruit and mild coffee
Thoughts:	The Glengoyne is a distillery that has been producing whisky, uninterrupted and unhurried, since 1833. This philosophy on being "unhurried" is important, because it underpins the unique Glengoyne style that sets it apart from the rest – a style that is in part the result of air drying the barley without a single puff of peat smoke and distilling the new make spirit slowly at around 5 litres per minute which allows longer contact with copper and therefore optimal absorption of sulfides while accentuating esters and aldehydes. That is a big part of Glengoyne's style, because it aims to offer super smooth single malt Scotch whisky with a clean fruity character. That, to borrow a catchcry of many chefs, “respects the ingredients”! The character of a whisky is made or altered from combining six key "ingredients" (or substances) – barley, water, yeast, copper, wood and ambient air. In addition to air dried barley and prolonged contact with copper to remove sulfides and convert esters, which is common to all Glengoyne expressions, there is something very special about The Glengoyne 21 Year Old: it has been matured for 21 long years in sherry wood. It is exceedingly rare to see whisky matured exclusively in sherry wood because it is much more expensive than, say, bourbon wood. Demand for sherry casks is simply outstripping supply, which means that the Glengoyne 21 Year Old expresses the distinct Glengoyne style with a rare, and heavy, European oak and sherry twist.   As a result of combining air dried barley, very clean distillate and some seriously high quality sherry wood, The Glengoyne 21 year old offers a union of flavours that is not only delicious but also unique to Glengoyne – a crisp clean Christmas cake character in which the barley and yeast are accentuated rather than lost within layers of European oak, sherry, wood spice, chocolate, coffee and powerful dense citrus notes that soften into a finish of tropical fruit, 90% cocoa chocolate and creamy honeyed porridge with a splash of expresso, cream and a brandy preserved cherry on top!
Tasting notes:	Nose: The smell of the wash (barley and remnants of the fermentation process) has survived the maturation period, and this malted barley aroma is interlaced with the complex oak influence - dark chocolate orange and soft sherry notes combine into light Christmas cake with dusty nutmeg, cocoa, cracked cinnamon, fresh bitter dark green mint (forget the artificial mint, this is the natural leaf), licorice, anise seed, and, a cereal rich nuttiness and fruitiness (banana bread, walnut bread). The bouquet has a strong aroma of European oak. Curiously, shimmers of character emerge at unexpected intervals - wet bark, dark sweet ale, mocha, coffee, sweet tobacco, cream, nuts, dark toffee, cooked apples, raisin, bread and butter pudding, mild sweet roses, honey and polished wood. Taste: Incredibly smooth on the entry, the whisky has an initial woody bitterness that sweetens into heavier sherry notes on the mid-palate and then softens on the finish. The whisky is mouth-coating and as it fills every crevice of the palate big rounded notes of European Oak emerge with citrus rind and the sweet nip of sherry. The citrus then intensifies into heavy orange extract, rich dark chocolate laden Christmas cake, lemon rind, coffee and wood spices (cinnamon in particular). The taste of this whisky has a heavy oak influence, but the barley still gently shimmers within the fog of sherry, dark chocolate and Christmas cake.  Finish: The finish itself is creamy. Honeyed oats and porridge with brandy preserved cherry lingers with dark chocolate, unsweetened coffee and soft tropical fruit (fresh pineapple and mango).
Likes:	Complex, rich, smooth, big oak notes
Warning:	I recommend this whisky only for people who enjoy exploring European oak influence. The oak has done a great, but thorough, job!
Price:	£100 (UK), $230 (Aus)

Glengoyne 35 Year Old

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glengoyne 35 Year Old  Single malt
Score:	98/100
ABV:	46.8%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Full
Intensity:	Strong
Texture:	Oily
Balance:	Near perfect, with big oak driven character and a drying finish
Best served: No of bottles:	Neat Limited to 500 globally
Theme(s):	Big, rich and powerful with an oily mouth-coating texture releasing: oak, German marzipan pastries (stollen) and bittersweet black forest, stone fruit, honeycomb, cherries and sherry with dusty pure cocoa emerging into a drying oak driven finish with sherry, raisin, wood spices and grappa glazed prune with an anise seed nip.
Thoughts:	Humphrey Bogart must have reflected on his charmed life before uttering his following last words: “I never should have switched from Scotch to Martinis”.  These words came flooding into my mind about the same time Glengoyne 35 Year Old set my taste buds blazing with the flavours of three and a half decades of maturation. I get the feeling that Mr Bogart was simply saying that we should, when opportunity knocks, try something new (a Scotch, which changes from batch to batch) rather than something familiar (a boringly consistent Martini). Glengoyne 35 Year Old is one of those whiskies that I can fondly look back on and say, frankly my dear, I gave a damn. It makes me think that Mr Bogart was onto something - variety and memorable moments are the spice of life.  The Glengoyne 35 year old struck me as a whisky that has aged gracefully, retaining some freshness and spark while developing a lovely oily texture that carries musty oak driven age. This is a grand old whisky that is hard to fault no matter how carefully I smell it or swirl it around in my mouth - it has everything you want in an old whisky, but with some energy and bravado which signifies that this whisky has been drawn out of the casks at an ideal time. It does offer a burst of oak on the palate that progressively dries into the finish, so this whisky is highly recommended for those who enjoy picking apart older whiskies with a heavy (but balanced) oak influence.  A bottle of this whisky will set you back £2,850 (approximately $5,175). Not only is it sublime for drinking, but it is incredibly rare - only 500 bottles are available worldwide. Knowing its rarity makes savouring this whisky a very special experience, where sniffing and sipping a small dram can last an hour. This is one of those whiskies that you can appreciate, with a sense of feeling lucky and a big smile on your face. Unpacking the sample, I felt like a little boy on Christmas day! That has to be a big part of the whisky experience.  For more information about the Glengoyne 35 year old you can read Glengoyne's responses to a few of our questions by clicking here.   If you would prefer to watch a video review, please click play below (note: the colour of this whisky is better captured in the below photo).
Tasting notes:	Nose: Faultless! All the different notes whizz around in the glass to create a bouquet that is soft, fresh, musty, sweet and oaky. That sweetness (glazed cherries, sherry) wafts up with dark chocolate, vanilla fudge cake, crushed walnuts, German marzipan pastry (stollen) and whipped cream. This almost smells like a fresh bag of stollen, with the sugars, marzipan and pastry all intermingling. Soft calf leather and polished mahogany develops, and as the whisky rests marzipan pastries dusted with icing sugar emerge with boiled sweets and a subtle shade of mint and nutmeg. This is one of those bouquets that cannot be faulted, no matter how much one tries – it has ideal intensity, alcohol volume, balance, complexity.    Taste: With a delightful mouth-feel and rich oily texture this whisky glides down the palate as though it is liquid velvet. The dense and slightly viscous texture coats the palate with layers of flavour – big rich bursts of oak intermingle with waxy honeycomb, red cherries, sherry and bittersweet black forest as a dusting of cocoa, nutmeg and the spritz of soft citrus (tangelo and lemon biscuit) begin to add a drying bitterness that proceeds to the finish.  Finish: Long. The pure cocoa intensifies into a warming glow of dry wood, and then sherry, raisin and grappa glazed prune begins to pierce through that layer of oak with nutmeg and wood spices accompanying the nip of anise seed.
Likes:	Big, rich, vibrant, complex, mouth-coating
Price:	£2,850 (approx $5,175)

Glenmorangie The Original

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glenmorangie The Original Single malt
Score:	83/100
ABV:	40%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Fine
Intensity:	Calm
Texture:	Light
Balance:	Good
Best served:	Neat
Theme(s):	White wine (starting dry, then developing sweeter varieties with associated fruit), almond, nougat, sweet perfume, orange peel, marmalade, melon, vanilla, apricot, fine, light
Tasting notes:	Glenmorangie The Original is superfine spirit. Glenmorangie's stills are claimed to be the tallest in Scotland, and taller stills tend to produce spirit that is finer, lighter and more delicate than shorter stills.  Stills at The Glenmorangie Nose: Dried apricots and white wine are washed away by layers of almond nougat and honeycomb chocolate - if you have ever bitten into a "Crunchie" bar after the whiff of Italian almond nougat fills the air with a sweet floral perfume, then this whisky is very similar! It has a spectacularly complex nose that is delightful, but on the palate it delivers a sharp unbalanced whack that then balanced out.   Taste: Initially sweet, a sharp astringency develops which again brings to the fore chardonnay with hints of sweeter white wine developing towards the finish. There is a crispness about this whisky that ignites surges of marmalade and sharp alcohol with sweet shards of caramel and vanilla. The sharp tartness balanced out as sweeter honeyed and candied fruits develop.  Finish: Sweet but dry, with that sweeter white wine - now Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio - lingering on the palate with hints of melon, vanilla, apricots and some orange peel.
Likes:	Superfine and superb nose!
Dislikes:	A tad unbalanced and dominated by some notes
Price:	$67 (Aus), £30

Macallan 1824 Series Sienna ★

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Macallan 1824 Series Sienna  Single malt
Score:	94/100
ABV:	43%
Region:	Highlands, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium
Texture:	Soft and velvety
Balance:	Near perfect
Best served: Cask:	Neat Ex-sherry
Theme(s):	Creamy, fruity, nutty, cereal, dark chocolate, caramel, honey, vanilla, coffee notes
Summary:	Beautifully integrated, a gentle surge of fresh and dried fruit is balanced by the bitter bite of dark chocolate and wood spices that are softened by soothing waves of creamy and nutty vanilla that recede into a drying finish of shimmering caramel and drying cocoa
Tasting notes:	The 1824 Series The Macallan have released a new range, the 1824 Series. The 1824 Series comprises of four "expressions" that do not have age statements and instead are named after the colour of the whisky: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby. The idea is that each whisky "expression" in the range represents a particular colour. The Sienna is the second darkest of the range.  Macallan 1824 Series: Gold, Amber, Sienna and Ruby Salvaging the treasure The culprit: Henry The aesthetic value of a whisky or spirit is in its natural colour and bottle design. When I first saw the bottle of The Macallan Sienna, the vibrant colours the whisky emitted from the classic bottle design were beautiful. I just had to capture it in that light, because the sun was setting and it was in just the right angle to reflect the colour of the whisky without it reflecting off the label.  I eagerly rushed to the pond, and placed the bottle in the perfect spot – the sun’s rays beamed through the whisky as the spirit caught the light like a prism, and it reflected the water and nearby vegetation. I peered through my camera with a big smile on my face, but the whisky had suddenly vanished. The culprit? Henry the King Charles Cavalier. With a flick of his tail, Henry sent the whisky sinking two metres to the bottom of a murky pond. Looking satisfied that he one again had my undivided attention, Henry’s cuteness let him get away with yet another act of vandalism – first my Burberry glasses which he chewed up, and now this!  The sun was setting. Its once friendly glow quickly turned hostile. The pond was getting darker and darker with each minute and the faint white shimmer of the bottle was fading fast as the sun went down. Even worse, the sun was reflecting off the pond now and it was impossible to see anything, even the fish were hidden beneath a veil of sunlight.  The salvaged whisky The bottle could have drifted anywhere. Armed with an extremely long pool cleaning net, I scooped hopelessly for this bottle of Macallan Sienna, feeling as though I was looking for a needle in a haystack. The light was no longer my friend, because with each scoop the water became murky from the unsettled mud at the bottom of the pond – surely the sealed bottle would be buried by now. There I stood, stabbing into the water to feel the clink of a glass bottle… and with each stab I looked sillier and sillier. With each “clink” I felt, I pulled up a rock and managed to hold back some colourful language. Then, I felt it. “Clink”, “clink”, “clink”… “this must be it”, I hoped. As I raised the scoop the treasure reflected the sun. There it was, The Macallan Sienna, its label peeling but its contents untouched due to being sealed. Phew! Needless to say, Henry couldn’t be blamed – all is well that ends well! Tasting the salvaged whisky Nose: Nose warming and gentle, cereal notes and barley abound with dried husks and oats with honey, raisins and pecan (one of my favourites!). Light notes of orange and lime develop with chocolate coated raisins and a soothing creamy layer of vanilla rich white chocolate and almonds. The mood of this whisky is bright with moments when the clouds come rolling in to unravel something new – raisins and sliced mango are layered with sweet golden caramel as cracked cinnamon sticks and ground nutmeg spark within creamy mocha and vanilla bean ice cream, almost affogato, with the oily aroma of crushed nuts. That creaminess is lovely, developing into fruit packed buttered scones and hot cross buns as gentle solvent and citrus notes cut through the fatty layers.  Taste: Beautifully integrated and balanced, a luscious wave of Spanish style rum and raisin is balanced by dark chocolate as the fruity burst of sultana and nectarine leads to a palate buzzing with gradually receding dried fruit and wood spices of nutmeg in particular - this whisky rekindles memories of spiced fruit loaf, and the sweetness is balanced by the cocoa and wood spices. What is particularly striking about the Macallan Sienna is its balance. As soon as it hits the tongue, the flavours meld together and integrate without causing any noticeable friction or clash – instead they interlace and complement one another. Finish: Drying, with lingering dried fruit and wood notes softened by gentle vanillas and luscious gooey caramel and honeycomb oozing from a cracked dark cocoa rich chocolate.
Likes:	Highly complex and beautifully integrated flavours on the palate
Price:	£65 (UK), $170 (Aus)