Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch No. 005

I just capped off reviews of the Glengoyne core range with the 15 year about a month or two ago. This one feels like the bonus round. I appreciate distilleries that throw in a steady cask strength release into their lineup. Aberlour, Tamdhu, and now Highland Park are some of the others to do it, and now I’ve got a crack GG’s rendition. Batch No. 005, 59.1% ABV. Nose: Fresh-cut grass. Heavy on the vanilla custard and toffee. Hazelnut. White and red grape as well as raisin. Fudge/chocolate syrup. Orange citrus. Cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Some heat, but mostly fruit forward/sweet. Palate: Heavy on the plum, raisin, fig, and date. Pundcake. Cranberry. Vanilla, toffee, and chewy caramel. Milk/raspberry chocolate. More orange. Cinnamon roll. Buttered roll. Cola. Finish: Apple, plum, and raisin. Red grape, date, and fig. Heavy on the cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. A spicy affair to be certain. As long a finish as you could ask for. Beastly. In a world of a standout cask strength malts, this one manages to stand out. A lot of the heavy hitters that come to mind in this category and sherrycask-aged. As a bourbon barrel-aged product, it is somewhat unique, though it shares a lot of notes with sherry-aged Scotches. I had to double check to make sure it wasn’t. There is a ton of rich red fruit. Delightfully spicy; it’s incredibly potent at 59.1% ABV but never even flirts with being unpleasant. The Glengoyne flavor is not only not subdued by the high ABV—it is accentuated—and that’s hard to pull off. At $90, this is was well worth the price of admission. It’s actually cheap for a CS release in the year 2025. And it was damn good. I will definitely be seeking out more batches in the future. 4.5 boosted to 4.75 after factoring in VFm. Awesome.

Nose - Little hot, sharp bright sherry sweet, orange zest, bright red dried fruits (w/ water) Less heat, more vibrant/bright, addition of mint? Taste - Bit hot, raisins, ginger, orange zest, honey, caramel, light burnt sugar bitter (w/ water) Reduced heat up front, black peppercorns, light bitter orange, raisins, prunes, more fruity bitter Finish - Lingering raisins/prune sweet, orange zest & pith bitterness, flamed orange zest, dark chocolate bitter (w/ water) Lingering heat, less cloying sweet, flamed orange zest & raisins Score - 82/100 Final Thoughts - This one is nicely sherried, but it feels strangely young although I'm sure it probably is comprised of whisky from 8-12 years (my guess). Feels a bit brash up front and the heat backs it up a bit. Nice notes of bright dried fruits up front with a nice orange backbone. Nothing really off putting about this one other than the heat and the sort of brash bitterness I get with & without water. It's nice, but is really punchy and not sure I'd always be in the mood for this one. Would I drink it if offered? - Yes Would I specifically order it? - Maybe Would I buy a bottle? - No NOTE - All reviews are done without factoring in price.

Nose: 3,75* White pepper, baked bananas, honey corned flakes, milk chocolate and raisins. Palate: 3,75* Ashy white pepper turns to honey-ed malt, bitter chocolate. Finish: 4* More subtle pepper now, ashes, pretty long and kind of waxy. Peppery is part of it’s character and best embraced. Serve with a small amount of water, too much really drowns out any flavours.