Glengoyne 10 Years Old (40%, OB, 2015)

Highland single malt scotch whisky

40% ABV, £32.33

Score: 83/100

What they say:

Fresh green apples, toffee and a hint of nuttiness. This is the taste of distilling slower than anyone else in Scotland, of barley we dry by air – never peat – and of oak casks we select by hand. Just as we’ve always done.

Official Tasting Notes A fresh, delicate nose and a light golden colour indicates lightness and subtlety. A refined, well balanced malt scotch whisky in taste, made all the more rewarding by its unpeated style and light, yet complex taste. Appearance: Golden yellow. Clear and bright Nose: Sweet, with toffee and popcorn aromas. Slightly nutty, with fresh green apples coming through Mouthfeel: Warming Initial Taste: Clean. Green apples and grass with a hint of sweet liquorice After Water: Sweeter. Linseed oil and almonds. Finish: Sweet and malty Comments: Great introduction to Glengoyne range.

What I say:

Sample during Water of Life Society (WoLS) meeting 27/02/2014 – Whisky and Cheese Pairing, paired with Prima Donna a Dutch cheese brand of Vandersterre Groep. It competes with Parrano, a trademarked brand of Vandersterre’s competitor Uniekaas Groep.Like Parrano it combines the flavour of aged Italian parmesan with the pliant texture of Dutch Gouda cheese. / Prima Donna has a slight nuttiness that was complimenting the nutty sherry influence of the Glengoyne 10.

Colour:

Ruby gold

Nose:

Sherry, fruity, red berry fruits

Taste:

Cereal malt, toffee apple, nutty and sherry ‘fizz’ leather and wood. After water, Sweeter. Linseed oil and almonds.

Finish:

Medium, initially drying then mouth-watering fruit and leather tannins

Overall:

Distinctly more sherried in colour, nose and palate than official tasting notes suggest – perhaps as a result of the cheese pairing?