Based 14 miles north of Glasgow at the foot of the Campsie Hills, Glengoyne distillery has sat on the highland/lowland divide since it’s still started running in 1833. Branded as a Highland single malt whisky, the warehouses are argued to be in the lowlands by sitting across the road!
Revered as one of the most beautiful distilleries, their spirit has been known for its sherry-led maturation since the late 1800s. Here though, the “White Oak”
Release gives us a rare glimpse into the base spirit itself with a solely bourbon and fresh oak matured whisky. To be precise, the whisky has been matured in first-fill bourbon casks, and fresh virgin oak casks from the US, with less than a minute’s char to let the spirit itself shine through.
The final whisky is bottled without an age statement at 48% ABV at its natural colour and without chill filtration. This relatively new expression is set to become a permanent feature, currently priced at £50 per 70cl bottle.
Nose
A lovely grassy start with the smells of cut hay joined with malted biscuits, fresh cut apples, and a gentle peach tea.
Taste
A soft and sweet toffee apple combo. That toffee flavour develops with the malt to make for a Butterkist popcorn like flavour. A gentle fig roll flavour joins the sweet treats. Oak spices and the alcohol layer show up to tingle the tonsils with nutmeg and peppery spices.
Finish
There’s a good heat on this which lets the fresher oak flavours and a final vanilla note sing. The tongue is left tingling afterwards.
Verdict
This unique offering is worth its while. Displaying that underlying character of the base spirit reveals its good malt, subtle fruits, and sweetness – all delivered with a good heat and body to it.
If I’m perfectly honest, I’m not that familiar with Glengoyne’s main portfolio. I’ve tried their 10yo and 12yo fleetingly in the past and only see their wares occasionally in the whisky section of Marks and Spencer’s if I’m out to get a treat. Without that Sherry-based background knowledge, I’m just able to enjoy this as a solid and classic style single malt scotch whisky.
The Glengoyne location looks absolutely stunning and I’ll be adding it to the bucket list.
Noting that the distillery’s core releases all sit around the classic age statements it’s interesting to see that this does not state its age, and I wonder if that’s because the spirit is either younger than what they would usually release (the 10yo being their youngest age statement) or if it’s a combo of ages. Either way, the whisky delivers and I think that is in part due to the chosen bottling strength of 48% ABV. I would have thought that at a lower percentage, it would probably fade it into obscurity. Here though, it sings.
M
Dram disclosure: This sample was received as part of the Master of Malt Pour & Sip paid subscription service. All notes are intended as an honest, fair, and independent review of the whisky, and not as a promotion. Please drink responsibly. Please drink wisely.
whisky unplugged 
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