One fine evening our original Mumbai tasting group settled down to sample a trio… completely blind followed by the reveal.
We began with a Highland single malt picked up by our host’s father-in-law in Russia.
Glengoyne Distiller’s Gold 15 year 40%
- Nose – Clear stamp of an ex-Bourbon cask, banana, vanilla, boiled sweets, honey, a
bit floral, quite sharp, scented erasers, candied orange, lavender, marigold, like wandering through a garden, bit oily, grapes and wine tannins. After the first sip, the perfume settled down and the spice stepped back too to make way for a more vegetal, honey, caramel, biscuits, something heavier underneath, pumpkin seeds, yeasty - Palate – Starts off quite mild, quite thin to the point it almost evaporated, none of the oiliness promised on the nose…. after consideration it had a light to medium body, quite “neutral” in character. Keep sipping and found a light hint of brine, a hint of tobacco or leather, nescafe coffee powder
- Finish – Began a bit bitter yet a nice bitter, white pepper corn, black raw licorice, mineral, while not long shifted between different elements
- Water – While it seemed a contradiction given how light we found it, the whisky is quite enjoyable with a bit of water. It rounds it out, particularly if you let it sit for some time. It also then reveals fruits like green apple.
- Return – And be rewarded with butterscotch!
What did we think?
There was a familiar quality with a classic approach. We found it quite nice and all shared how it grows on you. Easy to sip and while there were no distinctive qualities that shouted out one particular distillery over another, it was quite pleasant.
For most, the nose was its best quality – enjoying how it would change and evolve. We also found it best to give more time, let it sit – worth the wait.
As we speculated about it, our general conclusion was that it was Scottish, low 40%s, primarily bourbon cask. One suggested it came from “pedigree”.
And the reveal?
What complete surprise! Previous Glengoyne’s had a much heavier sherry influence – it was quite different than what we recalled. We wanted to learn more about the casks used and were surprised to learn it spent six years in a sherry cask? Really? Could it be a 3rd fill…..? The wording on the bottle was a imprecise.
It was originally released only for travel retail, only natural colour.
Official tasting notes for the standard 15 year:
- Nose: Fresh hay, malt flour, citrus and dried fruit.
- Mouth Feel: Smooth and clean
- Initial taste: Clean with a gentle sweetness.
- Finish: Long with gentle spice and lingering oak.
What else did we sample that evening?
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