Glengoyne 15y - The spark that started the fire
|
Distillery |
Age |
Whisky Name(optional) |
|
Glengoyne |
15
Years |
- |
This is the the first post on this blog and as such, I wanted to make something symbolic. I wanted to start where my whisky journey began when I first arrived here in Scotland 6 years ago.
In this post, I will talk about one of the first whiskies that I really appreciated, the one that made me feel something for the first time. The spark that started the fire…
It was Established in 1833, a few years after the introduction of the 'Excise Act of 1823’ which we will explain in a later post/video.
Glengoyne produces roughly about one million litres of pure spirit (new make spirit) every year which is used in a number of different whiskies. They do not use peat smoke to dry their barley, which gives their single malt a clear and distinctive flavour.
The Range
The distillery has a core collection which is their main roster and is available pretty much all the time and it includes the 10, 12, 18 and 21 years old as well as the Cask Strength and the Legacy series: Chapter 2.
They also offer a Travel Retail Exclusive collection which includes the 10y First Fill Edition, the15y PX (Pedro Ximenes) Cask Edition and the well looked after 26y.
Glengoyne also has a Fine and Rare Collection in which you can find the 25, 30 and 50 years old as well as their oldest whisky, the Glengoyne 53y.
Finally, the "Vault" contains some of the rarest whisky ever produced by Glengoyne which are often sold in auction houses: The Glengoyne Highland Single Malt, the 26y single cask, the 20y single cask 1986 Spanish Oak Shery Butt, the 17y Single Malt, the 15y Single Malt, the 15y Single Cask, the 14y Single Cask 1993 American Oak Sherry Hogshead, and the Legacy Series: Chapter 1.
This Glengoyne 15y has been placed in Glengoyne’s vault because it was discontinued.
The Bottle
I have read many reviews of whisky and one thing that strikes me is that people rarely talk about the packaging - the bottle AND the box, that is.
Both the box and the bottle are not given enough attention in my opinion, and I believe it is a huge mistake as they are part of the whole experience. In fact, it is actually the first thing you see and it gives many hints about the whisky it contains and about the intentions of the distillers.
The bottle is a Standard 700 ml European spirit white glass bottle. It has Glengoyne’s old logo embossed at the back as well as the distillery's creation date and location at the front.
There are two labels at the front. The first one is just the old Glengoyne logo which was changed for the new one in September 2020. The second label shows the description of the malt, the distillery manager name and signature, Robbie Hughes, and your usual volume, strength (43%) and distillery details.
I bought this bottle from the distillery about 5 years ago for £49.99 (about 60euros, or 65 us dollars). Unfortunately, I cannot find the current selling price for this malt as I simply can't find it anywhere online or in shops. If you found a bottle, please leave a comment below and let me know how much you bought it for!
MY ANALYSIS
The Eyes
Looking through this whisky over a neutral white background, its beautiful burnished colour is simply mesmerising. The colour of whisky is usually given by two factors:
- The time spent in the cask: the longer the darker.
- The type of cask used for maturing: A whisky matured in a Bourbon cask will tend to have a lighter yellow colour, whilst a whisky matured in a Sherry will be much darker, with red tones.
To get a good idea of what the colour is, I like to use a colour chart originally published in The Whisky Magazine by Charles McLean. This Glengoyne 15y appears to be almost in the middle of the chart, with a 1.1 Burnished colour. (0 being white Gin clear, 2 being brown Treacle).
Finally, this whisky doesn't have much texture to it. I mean by this that it does not stick to the glass very much and it does not look silky like a syrup, but more dry like a white Chardonnay or a Viognier.
The Nose
The first notes that I got from this whisky are very Fruity. The smell of dried fruits and raisins stroke me first. It reminded me of an Italian Panettone or a Kouglof, from Alsace, those cakes that we usually serve at Christmas.
The later notes are more subtle with hints of burnt toffee and tobacco.
One thing I like to do is to take a drop of whisky and rub it in my hands (Make sure your hands are clean first, obviously!). The reason for this is that we usually don't notice the smell of our skin and it gives a neutral base. By rubbing it in your hands, you can more appreciate the later notes as the whisky has time to evaporate. And yeah, by doing this, you can definitely smell those later notes of toffee and tobacco.
The Mouth
And now it’s time for my favourite part, the tasting. Something I was told in one of the distilleries I have visited is that you should keep the whisky in your mouth as many seconds as its age. For example this Glengoyne is a 15 years old whisky, so you should technically leave it in your mouth for 15 seconds before swallowing it. I am not sure about the science behind this technique, but I've always done it since and it always gave me enough time to get all the flavours of the whisky without keeping for too long and burning my tongue and palate.
The first thing that stroke me the first time I tried this Glengoyne is its spiciness. Cinnamon and Nutmeg invade your mouth as soon as you put that glass to your lips. Then, after a few seconds, a sour flavour stings your tongue and your palate. Remember those sour sugar-coated lemon sweets that we used to eat when we were children, that's the flavour! The finish is much more subtle, the sourness fades away and give space to the sweetness.
Comparing now what I felt with the description on the label, SI can definitely taste the spicy oak and the hints of candied lemon, however I still cannot find the pineapple in it which is quite interesting because usually, Pineapple and Coconut are some of the main flavours given by the Bourbon casks. Sorry my friend, but you’re out this time.
CONCLUSION
This Glengoyne 15 years old means a lot to me and as my bottle comes to its end after 5 years, it will soon be the time for me to say goodbye. It was the first single malt that really got me into enjoying whiskies and developing my senses.
It is definitely a great medium range single malt and even if you know nothing about whiskies, I would highly recommend you to try it as it is very well balanced and it will give you a good idea of a nice, round whisky, with some rich flavours.
That is, if you can lay your hands on a bottle, since as I mentioned earlier, this series has been, unfortunately and to my deepest regrets, discontinued.
This now concludes this tasting. I would just like to thank you for reading this post, please like, comment and share it if you enjoyed it. Don't forget to check my other posts and remember that you can follow me on my Youtube Channel and my Instagram Page.
May we meet again for another tasting, ‘til the last drop.
Slàinte Mhath!
Comments
Post a Comment