The 25 is the last stop in our vertical tour of the Glengoyne core offering. Besides these six drams, I also had the Glengoyne Teapot Dram (heaven if you like sherry bombs), the Cask Strength 12 year old and the first batch of the NAS Cask Strength (which will be reviewed in a future series on cask strength sherry bombs), as well as the 35.
Photo Credit: blog.virgin-atlantic.com
The 25 is a majestic dram, sitting right on the border between a sherry bomb and the old sherry style.
Glengoyne 25 Years Old (48% ABV, NCF, NC)
Appearance: Mahogany with thin and slow forming legs.
Nose: The nose is on the cusp between the sherry bomb and the “old dusty sherry”. The oak is present, dignified yet not leathery. Cinnamon and clove, wet sultanas, some balsamic vinegar and chocolate nut crunch. With time the balsamic, nuts and chocolate notes get stronger.
Palate: The palate id sweet and spicy on the tongue with notes of demerara sugar, cinnamon, white pepper, old books and dried orange peel.
Linger: Sweet on the tongue, light spice, chocolate and mouth drying. It stays sweet, spicy and chocolaty for a very long time.
Conclusion
Truly a thing of beauty.
This is a whisky standing right on the cusp of switching from the 21 year old sherry bomb to the old/dusty sherry. The 35 was already deep into the old range, so I guess the process is complete by 28-29 years. I hope I get the chance to sample some of the casks between 25 and 35 as a fascinating learning experience. For this dram, I have one word: majestic!
This concludes Malt and Oak’s Glengoyn week. I’d like to personally thank Paul and Katy. Paul for walking me through the range at the Whisky Show and making sure I get the samples I needed to complete the reviews, and to Katy for handling the logistics of getting them to me in Israel. Slainte!
Official sample of the Glengoyne 25 was provided by Ian Macleod Distillers.
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