Glengoyne 17 Years Old (40%, OB, 2015)

Highland single malt scotch whisky

40% ABV, £ Discontinued

Score: 85/100

What they say:

Glengoyne 17 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky A higher portion of 1st fill Sherry casks gives a rich, mouth-coating whisky, full of ripe apples, orange peel, pear drops, vanilla, spicy oak, and sherry. A truly great whisky with perfect balance. Spicy vanilla fruit, ripe apples and a rich, luxurious mouthfeel. This is the result of 17 long years and a generous proportion of first-fill sherry casks. And of the patience we take over the slowest distillation in Scotland.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Medium gold with a rich glow.

Nose: Some sherry, Christmas pudding. Plenty of fruit – raisins, ripe apples and tinned oranges in syrup

Mouth Feel: Rich, mouth-coating. Malty, treacle, slightly nutty. Orange peel, apple compot. Rich oak.

Initial taste: Malty, treacle, slightly nutty. Orange peel, apple compot. Rich oak. After Water: Pear Drops and vanilla Finish: Long and rich, with spicy oak

Comments: Wonderfully ripe fruit and spicy fruit. The effects of our copper stills and oak casks jostle for prominence, but neither succeed. This is supremely well balanced whisky.

What I say:

Dram #3 at the WOLS Return to Drammage tasting on 15th January 2015

Fortuitously one of our committee spotted these 3 x 1L (Travel Retail) Glengoyne 17 Years Old expression as a job lot at auction. Now discontinued and of dwindling stock, this was possibly the last chance for most to taste this excellent expression from Glengoyne. Aged for 17 years in a high proportion of first fill sherry casks for an extra rich flavour. This expression was also at the reduced 40% ABV (below the standard 43% ABV)

Colour:

Copper amber, medium heavy tears

Nose:

The nose was initially quite light before tannic leather and sherried fruits come through, plenty of red fruits, strawberry, raspberry red apples and oranges, fruitcake mix

Taste:

Smooth and creamy, red berries, strawberries and cream, apple and orange, a good dose of cereal barley malt, some cocoa and chocolate, molasses and treacle

Finish:

Long, drying, suede leather and oak wood

Overall:

A beautifully balanced sherried dram from Glengoyne. Plenty of rich fruit, lighter on the palate than the nose suggests and finishes with an undeniably dry, sherry and European oak influence. A shame this is no longer available, but happily it has been superceded with further great expressions from Glengoyne such as the 18 Years Old.