Tasting Notes: Glengoyne: 10 Year

Glengoyne: 10 Year (Scottish Highland Single Malt Whisky:10 Year: 40% ABV)

Visual: Slight toffee hued grain.

Viscosity: Medium speed thick streaks.

Nose:  Dried apricot and barley. Sharp lime, pencil shavings, brown sugar, prunes and vanilla. Water adds fudge in a warming style, as if from a hot drink. The apricots are emphasised and slight milky coffee comes out.

Body:  Slick and smooth., Vanilla custard. Slight dried bark. Water makes more custardy and adds slight nuttiness. Coffee liquore and black cherry.

Finish: Light oak and dried apricot. Rum and raisin ice cream. Milk Chocolate. Water makes more chocolate evident. Adds peanuts. The most evident element is still apricot. Black forest gateaux.

Conclusion: It is an odd coincidence this coming so soon after the Glenfiddich 15 as they both seem to call to the same imagery.  Lots of light fruit like peaches and apricots with the darker fruit as a hint behind.

This whisky however seems to use a heavier brush to paint the image. Obvious sweet fruit growing in a darkened woodland, dried apricot and custard through an oak and coffee background. Thus I found this the more enjoyable of the whiskies, taken best with a few drops of water but no more.

The rich fruit body and black forest gateaux finish are all sweet notes, but it uses a dry cut back to balance it well, slicing it away from sickliness and making a satisfying experience.

Feels like a Hansel and Gretel whisky, leading you down a trail through its flavours and mindset.  Without the drop of water its seems more spice than flavour, with too much it goes weak.  Take a bit of care to balance it right and it becomes lovely whisky for relaxing by the fireplace with.

Background: Originally the Burnfoot distillery, and still turns out a whisky under that name (though the only thing I’ve seen it in is plastic bottles which does not make me think it’s a high class example of their whisky). The distillery, despite being close to Glasgow, is one of the most picturesque that I have visited, with the water coming from a waterfall nestled away in an idyllic environment. First tried the whisky at a tour of the distillery where it did not impress too much. Then again I was at the end of a week distillery tour and may have been a tad worse for wear at the time. Glengoyne does not use peat smoke to dry their barley, which they claim gives a very clear expression of the whisky.