Whisky Connosr
Menu
Shop Join

Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 1

Average score from 2 reviews and 2 ratings 90

Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 1

Product details

  • Brand: Glengoyne
  • Bottler: Distillery Bottling
  • ABV: 58.7%

Shop for this

What next?

  • Add to cabinet
  • Add to wish list
@MaltActivist
Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 1

I may have mentioned this before but Glengoyne was one of my very first purchases when I started discovering single malts. Luckily for me it was the 21 year old that I was getting flogged.

I remember having a taste and thinking 'Bloody hell! What have I been missing all these years?' That bottle was soon gone and I picked up another for a rainy day.

Since then Glengoyne has been quite a dependable distillery for me. They mature everything in sherry and I have to give them props for the way they source their casks.

They cut down oak trees in Spain and make their own casks which are then dumped with Oloroso. Twenty eight months later, after emptying out the sherry, the casks are then shipped to the Highlands for use at Glengoyne.

This NAS cask strength replaces the earlier 10 year old cask strength version. It is a blend of first and re-fill sherry casks bottled at 58.7%. My sample is from a brand new bottle.

Nose: Damp earth. Wet autumn leaves. Bitter chocolate. Spicy oak. Red wine tannins. Black pepper. Cinnamons. Dates. Dark plums. Gets crisp over time. The dampness goes and settles into something floral and a touch spicy. Like sandalwood. And nutmeg. 23/25

Palate: Full bodied mouth feel. Cinnamon. Heavy chocolate. Oak. Tannins. Dark plums. Bitter chocolate. Gets quite savory mid-palate. Cocoa beans. Quite an aggressive attack without being nasty. 22/25

Finish: Long. Oily. Cinnamon. 22/25

Balance: 22/25

Strength: Full marks for strength as it comes at you all guns blazing. 25/25

Variety: The Oloroso brings a nice bouquet of flavors but could have done more. 21/25

Quality: Some rough edges. Not a lot, though. But there. 21/25

Harmony: Works well with all the flavors. 22/25

Based on the above observations the total score for this whisky is:

Cask Strength is always fun! Thanks for your review, @MaltActivist.

A very good and interesting review MaltActivist. I have just opened my batch 3 on the basis of this review and it is everything you say it is. An excellent dram indeed.

@hunggar

This was not a whisky I had planned on buying. But when I was browsing a local retailer’s website, I came across a combo deal that I couldn’t pass up. 2 bottles; Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 001 (700 ml) and Glenfarclas 105 (1L) for CAD $96? Well… um…. Yes. I’ll take it. I already knew and loved the ‘Farclas, but I was more than happy to have a newly released CS ‘Goyne to try out. My experience with them has been a bit hit or miss over the years, but I’m always up for another CS sherry bomb in the cabinet. Aside from the 58.7% abv, I also appreciate the clear and concise “unchill-filtered, no colouring added” printed in big font right at the front of the label.

I’ve been revisiting this bottle for a couple months now… and I LOVE this stuff. Although there’s a lot of people who are unhappy this trend of younger whiskies with higher abv’s being used to replace older releases, I can’t say I’m one of them. For me, this whisky and this particular distillery personify why that shift can be a very, very good thing.

Nose: A powerful nose. Quite tart and zesty, with lemon, ginger, peach, apple pie, sultanas, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, milk chocolate, and tea biscuits. This shows good complexity, and the semi-sour tartness that counterbalances the sherried sweetness works well.

Palate: Good spicy kick right from the start. Peppers and heavy sherried fruits dominate the arrival. The sherry is deeper and richer than the nose suggested. It’s very dry, very red, and very rich. Sultanas, dried apple, marzipan, lemon zest, and charred oak.

Finish: More deep, rich sherry fruits. With the sherry comes an absolutely gorgeous berry sweetness. Red currant, rasperry, blueberry, apricots, sultanas and marmalade. The charred oak continues to dry the mouth, and brings with it waves of vanilla. What a lovely sting this has. The final notes dissipate on lingering butterscotch, cream, milk chocolate, and coffee. The finish is long, complex, and dynamic.

This is a sherry monster; ‘Goyne-style. In my limited experience with Glengoyne, their sherried whiskies carry a certain level of distinctiveness. This whisky has the usual sherry suspects, but it’s tweaked a little bit away from the standard bombs à la ‘Farclas 105 or A’bunadh. Why? First, there’s a strong tartness or zestiness that sets it apart. Second, there’s more of a burnt quality to the oak. The oak in this has a strong, spicy, savory quality that I could compare to a good, high abv bourbon. Third, there’s a jam-like berry sweetness here that really shines.

Overall this is a stunning whisky. I haven’t tried the 17 yet, but I consider this to be vastly superior to the 10 yo and the 21 yo. If the industry continues to move towards NAS CS releases, then this is a prime example of how that should be done. Gorgeous stuff. By far the best Glengoyne I’ve ever had.

I am intrigued. Well done

Me too; and the comparisons really help. Thanks!

Popular Glengoyne whiskies