Glengoyne 21 Year

The 25 is one of if not the best valued sherry whiskies on the market. How does the 21 year at a pathetically low 43% work? Nose - So I get oak sour and bitter notes, some sherry plums and raisins, and oddly I'm getting vanilla like I'd get from a bourbon cask which doesn't make any sense as this is all european oak sherry butts. I should add this isn't the first time I got these notes either. Very sweet, fruity, but vegtably. i get almost a sweet and sour sauce note as well. Really complex and interesting, but not exactly what I'd expect on this. This is about my 4th pour from this bottle in the last 3 days since getting it, so I've removed enough from the bottle for it to oxidize but odds are it still needs a week. As always, i will try and come back at some point if things change up. Taste - So up front you'll get the pathetic 43% and I'm not sure but I think this was chill filtered sadly (let me know). The result is that when it hits the tip of your tongue where often big bold whiskies blow you away without sweet flavors, it's almost a non event. Even as you get it into the middle of the tongue it's pretty boring. Then as you start to swallow, magic happens. The finish is this long complex fruity and well well aged oak note with some buttery elements, almost a burned caramel (not the caramel itself but the burned top). You get the spice from the European oak, the dark fruits from the sherry, but there's something else that's not expected that reminds me of a bourbon cask, it must be the from the malt. Anyway, for 150 which this can be found for, it's awesome stuff though I'd get a glendronach 18 currently for about 160 (local prices). Really good value and it brings out some of the best notes you get in a sherry whisky, but it's complex and has bitter notes unlike some of the more sweat ones. 3.5 star score great stuff.

The Glengoyne 25y is the favorite whisky of a lot of people. I couldn’t find shops selling samples of that but I found the 21, which supposedly is also very good. Well, the nose for sure is indeed very good. Super intense and rich. Also very unusual in a positiv way. Sugared black & red currants and strong strawberries, vanilla custard, waffles with butter. Behind the creamy sweetness there is a deep savory part as well - like breakfast-eggs, good warmed up olive oil. Then back to the sweet part again - now with berry ice cream and also nice gingerbread spices, milk chocolate covered raisins, hazelnut nougat. Man that is a good nose - not too sweet, what I like a lot. The palate arrives spicy and dry. Then it slowly release heavy and deep oak tannins and just a mild sweetness. Raw dried cocoa beans, roasted coffee beans, grapefruit peel, bitter chocolate. Really awesome. The finish is medium almost short and not as intense but that doesn’t surprise since the palate was super intense. The aftermath is characterful remnants of the super rich palate. A great whisky indeed. I can only imagine how good the 25y could possibly be. And I can see what the fuzz is about.

This one has a lot of fame, and some people even "dare" to compare it to a Glendronach, and i can actually say this os a good dram, but nowhere near as good as old "Glendro". Bottled at 43%abv, beautiful deep copper color. On the nose is way too powerful for a 43%abv; alcohol note is very present. Hazelnut, Almonds, Orange; Cherries, Sawdust, Tobacco. Strawberry syrup and Lemongrass. Cinnamon. On the palate is nice but very straightforward. Dry. Red fruits. Sherry dim. Mostly dry fruits, and super oaky. Aftertaste is a little harsh. Oaky, Grassy, Tobacco and Burnt wood. Ashy. Overall this one feels too much as a cowboy whisky. A little rough around the edges. Not bad, but this distillery still has to prove they have game. 82 over 100.

Glengoyne 21: she is a gentle, sweet and very classy lady. The old rule applies here “A minute in the glass for each year in the cask” don’t rush this beauty if you want to get to know her. This is a great sherry bomb with less barrel spice than I expected. Tall stills give a cleanness at the expense of perhaps a little complexity. Honestly if this was cheaper I could drink a lot of this without noticing. Don’t go crazy on the water Nose: Dried stone fruit Salted plumb candy Raisins Little hint of champion ruby fresh tobacco Sherry preserved cherry Arrival: Dark honey Ripe Plumbs Black tea Hot rose water toffee Development: Gentle white pepper Vanilla Sherry cask woody...ness Finish: Rich and sweet Rose petal White tea notes linger

The nose is beautifully complex with dark fruits, cinnamon, fennel seeds and it gets more herbal when you give it some time. On the palate it starts with brown sugar, dark fruits I can't pinpoint. The development is very slow but a nice ping pong between the sweet, dry and fruity oloroso notes. As you would expect the finish is long, dry and very pleasant. In summary, this is a masterpiece of Oloroso maturation, I especially adore the plum/cinnamon flavour combo. Certainly one of my all time favourite sherry whiskies! (92/100)

Nose: caramel, toffee, nuts and honey come to mind with delicate back oak notes. Mouth: oily and rich. Complex and with layers of flavor and spice. Well integrated and harmonious mix of sherry, sweetness, wood and no alcohol burn. Finish: spicy and delicate at the same time. This one opened up beautifully after sitting in the glass 20+ mins and with 3-4 drops of water. Compared vis-à-vis Tullibardine 500 for a better known reference, which is what actually Distiller suggested below in my search. Small world!