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Glengoyne Robbie's Choice 1989
Highland Single Malt Whisky
55.1% abv
£220
$500(USD)
Where does the time go? Friday again. Whooosh.
The final bottling from the 'Choice' series from Glengoyne in 2007, this time from the Distillery Manager who has chosen the only ruby port matured Glengoyne in the warehouse. This one also won a silver medal in the 2007 Malt Maniacs Awards.
To see all Glengoynes had on the Malt Mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet, inviting and vegetal. Cooked celery, tequila spiciness, rum chocolate-ness... more vegetables with celery seeds, sweet peppers, then fruits with sour cherries, blueberry pie. More and more Rum-my with time. Earthy and spiced.
Whoa, unexpected array from whisky. Rum, chocolate, spicy and silky. So puzzled. No Glengoyne maltiness and flavours not often found by this Doctor. Is this whisky?
SUMMARY:
If you celebrate the unusual you absolutely must try this. I cannot imagine there are many whiskies that compare flavourwise.
Malt Mission #261
Malt Mission #262
Malt Mission #263
Malt Mission #264
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne Billy's Choice 1989
Highland Single Malt Whisky
54.1% abv
£120
$270(USD)
Glengoyne warehouseman and engineer Billy's choice is an 18 year old whisky that spent its last 10 years in amontillado sherry casks, casks that held a type of sherry that is lighter than oloroso but darker than fino. This was awarded a silver medal in the 2007 Malt Maniac's Awards.
Have to share something I read in a newspaper sidebar today:
DRAM GOOD
Whisky is said to have many magical qualities and now it has one more--as a weapon against polluted waste sites. A by-product of teh spirit is almost 100% effective in cleaning contaminated ground water, it has been found. It is hoped the technique known as 'Dram' will cut down on the £1.2billion Britain spends each year on clearing waste sites. "This is groundbreaking technology," said researcher Dr. Graeme Paton of Aberdeen University.
Brilliant. And it's called DRAM (Device for the Remediation and Attenuation of Multiple pollutants).
Congratulations to the research team! Read more on the story HERE, HERE, and wherever else you look.
For all Glengoynes had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Heavy, doughy, some sulphur and birch bark. Toffee and some mint in background. Sweet at the core, pleasantly sour at the fore. Eggy and sherried, rum-my, woody, sour apples. Dry nose, if that is possible.
Rich, sweet, sappy. Paper, Dr. Pepper. Black coffee and burnt sugar. A sherried (obviously) finish with oak, chianti, and over-cloved apple pie.
SUMMARY:
For the sherry freaks--not subtle, not Glengoyne, not for everyone. But those who will like it will like it a lot.
Malt Mission #261
Malt Mission #262
Malt Mission #263
Malt Mission #265
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne Deek's Choice 1999
Highland Single Malt Whisky
60.9% abv
£62
$150(USD)
Following the successes of the releases chosen by the people of Glengoyne Distillery (Glengoyne Stillman's Choice malts of 2005, the Mashman's Choice of 2006) this is part of the 2007 selection from the warehouseman(Derrick 'Deek' Morrison) engineer (William 'Billy' Edmiston) and the distillery manager (Robbie Hughes). Maybe 2008 will see Tour Guide's Choice, Gardener's Choice, or Iain Weir(Marketing Director)'s choice?
This was distilled January 11, 1999, filled into a refill hogshead that yielded 316 bottles when disgorged September 2007. For all Glengoynes had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Light, lively and somehow smells healthy; barley and raw corn, bean sprouts, vitamin tablets, all stuff found in a health food store. Sweetness of orange syrup in the background with candied apples, almonds, and more.
Chewy and fresh with a great mouthfeel. Oatmeal cookies, vanilla extract, marzipan, challah, and coffee cake all make early appearances. Cinnamon, ginger, and instant coffee flavours come with a tightening in the palate, all finishing with a long breath of fresh oak with surges of spice.
SUMMARY:
Was very impressed by the malty and candied nose, and the spicy palate. Very appetising and complex for such a young spirit, although it is subtle and could fool one into thinking it simple. Not the case with this juvie. Slowly developing in the glass and on the palate. A real pleasure to sit and sip.
Malt Mission #261
Malt Mission #262
Malt Mission #264
Malt Mission #265
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 10yo
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky
40% abv
£26
$35(USD)
We have had a pretty wide range of official releases from Glengoyne on the Malt Mission, but we still haven't had the Glengoyne 10yo. Well, Tuesday March 4 (Happy Birthday, Martha), today is your lucky day.
When Ian Macleod Distillers purchased the Glengoyne Distillery in 2003, there was real excitement for the future that could be sensed in whisky shops, the conversations of whisky nerds, and at the distillery itself. The picturesque distillery, complete with pagoda roof, babbling brook, and mountainous (am I exaggerating?) backdrop of Dumgoyne Hill, has been lucky to be in the good hands of a good company of good HUMAN people. Visit their website and email them, you will hear back, I promise. Visit the distillery, and you will BE back, I promise... not just for the beautiful setting, kind staff, and convenient location(1hr from Edinburgh,15 from Glasgow), but for the delicious spirit that they produce there.
This week, we will have the new string of Distillery Manager and Warehouseman's Choice whiskies. For all Glengoynes had on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Honeyed maltiness, unbuttered popcorn, light and sweet but with a weighty, oaky core.
Luscious mouthfeel. Grassy, grainy, breakfast cereals. A bit of the spice and sour fruit of sherry cask influence. Granny smith apples and cheddar, red licorice, oak and vanilla. Chewy malt finish with more oak.
SUMMARY:
The malted barley flavours are prominent and the mouthfeel is fantastic. Good, clean, unpeated Highland whisky.
Malt Mission #261
Malt Mission #263
Malt Mission #264
Malt Mission #265
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne Burnfoot
Highland Single Malt Whisky
40% abv
£32
$50 (USD)
Burnfoot was the original name of Glengoyne distillery. This new travel-retail-exclusive release was launched in October 2007 and while it uses the 1833 name of the distillery it also boasts some very modern elements in its packaging (fluorescent GPS inspired box design) sharing a conceptual approach with another whisky in Ian Macleod Distillers range, Smokehead.
Glengoyne Burnfoot has no age statement but contains whiskies up to 34 years old. It was created to "represent a cross section of the Glengoyne character," offering a slightly fresher and sweeter taste than some of the other variants in the Glengoyne range. "Glengoyne Burnfoot is a whisky that has gone back to the future," says Iain Weir of Ian Macleod. "Burnfoot combines almost 200 years of whisky-making expertise with a twist of 21st century creativity. The result is a subtle and complex whisky." Let's see.
For more distillery info and to see all Glengoynes has on the mission click HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
A very consonant and chordal nose of a flour-dusted wood counter tops, some juniper, lemon, pears, green gummy bears and black tea.
Interesting and divergent. Tight and crisp but also quite rounded in the flavour impact. Some older casks in here, I think, there is some mustiness and a great intermingling of fruit, some gin, almonds, honey and oats.
SUMMARY:
Tasty, but not exceptional, and not exceptionally Glengoyne. It is light but also shows great depth. There is something very familiar about it, it is as clean as I remember the Glengoyne 10 (which we will have on the mission in the coming weeks) but there is more sherry, and the finish is long, dense, and oaky. It is an easy drinking mouthful that isn't obvious or boasting about its quality. So subtle and complex is a fair description, Iain. Worth getting your hands on.
Malt Mission #246
Malt Mission #248
Malt Mission #249
Malt Mission #250
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 1972
Highland Single Malt Whisky
46% abv
£275
Glengoyne has released quite a few fancy bottlings since Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the distillery in 2003, and this one is no exception. It comes in a gold safe, upright fish tank, chipmunk/squirrel/mouse trap-type of container complete with a lock, keys, and a velvet pouch to hold them. The label is gold and the whisky in the bottle radiates in the precious metal of its surroundings.
I cherish every time I get the opportunity to drink a whisky that is older than me and unfortunately, I can't help but notice that these opportunities come less and less often. It is probably part of the reason why the traditional market for scotch whisky is older folks cuz at least they appreciate 10, 12, 21, 30 years of maturation. Like I said back at Malt Mission #145 the integral role maturation and age plays in scotch whisky could lead one to believe "that people shouldn't be allowed to drink whisky older than themselves because they simply won't have the perspective to appreciate it. Does a 21 year old really understand what 30 years feels like? I do still find it such a romantic feature of scotch malt whisky that it can condense time in a glass, bringing decades [and in some cases] generations of family together. Gotta respect that."
From tragedies like Bloody Sunday in Derry, Northern Ireland, the Black September group plane hijacking and the Munich Olympic Games hostage crisis, to the beginning of footwear and video game empires(Nike sold their first shoe and Atari released PONG), to unprecedented national pride in sport as Canada beat Russia in the Summit Series, here's to 1972. In the whisky experience, it can be true that "All ages are contemporaneous" (Ezra Pound). Time travel in a glass. Magic.
Big thanks to Iain and Alison for sharing the sample. For more distillery info and stuff, see the other Glengoyne's we've had on the mission HERE.
TASTING NOTES:
Light and heavy, sweet and bitter, great display of balance right off the top. Malt and peach and pineapple and oak. Banana foamies. Fruit compote with fresh cream. Wooden spoons.
Slippery in the mouth with all the fruitiness of the nose controlled against oak and spice, as well as a touch of what I would swear was smoke. Grapefruit, fennel toothpaste, vanilla sauce and blueberries. Grist and oak, nutty and candied through the medium-long finish.
SUMMARY:
Impeccable balance and charm, and a wonderful exhibit of successful maturation. Older doesn't always mean better. 35 years old and not in the least bit tired. No indication that this is the product of one cask... is it? Great gift from the wealthy to the fortunate (and in some cases they might be the same person). In a different league in terms of style (neither better nor worse) from the 17 or 21yo, this release shows another, and equally enjoyable, side to the Glengoyne style.
Malt Mission #166
Malt Mission #167
Malt Mission #168
Malt Mission #169
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 21 yo Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£70*
$100(USD)*
Had to have a Glengoyne in this run-up to Malt Mission 100. Great people, adorable distillery, fantastic whiskies. Always. These factors mixed with proximity to Glasgow makes this a must-visit distillery.
The current Glengoyne marketing lines are, "The Real taste of Malt" and/or, "The Authentic taste of Malt Whisky untainted by Peat Smoke." Glengoyne does not use peat to dry their malted barley, and practices unusually slow distillation. These are just two of the special touches that make Glengoyne such a unique whisky. For more see Malt Missions 5 and 50.
This expression is matured in specially selected first fill European oak sherry casks, and Robbie Hughes, the distillery manager took great care to ensure the right casks were used and that the new 21yo would fit in as the pinnacle of the Glengoyne core range. The packaging has been changed, following the updated 10 and 17 tubes, to reflect the premium nature of the new 21 yo.
Thanks to Iain Weir for sending me a sample of this release.
*- this is the price of the new 100% sherry cask release. The old 21yo can still be found for around £60.
TASTING NOTES:
Bearhugs of warming sherry, apples and honey, cocoa dust, dry oakiness, with a wet, doughy and sweet maltiness throughout... like horse treats/sweet feed.
Much brighter than I expected, fruity and even tart off the top, then erupts with body, rich dry toasty oak then sherry and spices that stick around for ages. Ginger biscuits, licorice root, and crisp apples can be found along the ride. In no hurry to finish.
SUMMARY:
For me, the obvious parallel to this is the Macallan 18yo, 100% sherry casks, golden promise barley, similar price point. The reality is that the average wo/man who walks into a shop and grabs a Macallan cuz they want a Macallan, may never have heard of Glengoyne. Well, hear ye, hear ye; If you are already a Macallan drinker, then you must try Glengoyne. Macallan will still be there in the morning, should you not be glenblown away. Variety is the spice of (whisky) life.
The flavour development is very much consistent with the Glengoyne style in the shifting of dimensions from oak influence to malt influence and back again, and it is great that they have managed to capture the best of that again. For me, some of the buttery malt taste that makes younger expressions so sumptuous is lost to some of the more powerful dry sherry notes. And I mean powerful and dry. Mood malt. As it is, I personally struggle financially to keep a bottle of Glengoyne 17yo on my shelf, but if I could, this beauty would find its way up there as well. Sure it wouldnt disappear at the same rate, but it certainly deserves a chance. Hearty, heart-warming, uplifting, outstanding.
Malt Mission #96
Malt Mission #97
Malt Mission #98
Malt Mission #100
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 'Charlie's Choice' 17yo
Single Cask Single Malt Whisky
56% abv
£100
Last year, Glengoyne released a series of single cask bottlings selected by the stillmen at the distillery. The bottlings were very highly acclaimed. This year the mashmen were given the chance to prove that they also had great skills in choosing the perfect whisky. Another exercise that goes to show that there are different whiskies for different folks, and what one person may think is heavenly could be hell-in-a-bottle to another.
Charlie (Charles Murray) says, "I've been watching Cask 1231 for a while and am honoured to be releasing it. In my 17 years at Glengoyne this is the best cask I have tested. Full of sherry and soft oak, with layers of vanilla and marzipan. Heaps of complexity and no rough edges whatsoever." From a first-fill Oloroso Sherry hogshead, distilled 6th July 1989 and bottled August 2006.
I thank Iain Weir from Ian Macleod Distillers for letting me take this bottle away from the product launch I attended in the autumn. I just had to share it, and this taste was the last drop in the bottle, a perfect way to celebrate malt mission number 50(!!!)
TASTING NOTES:
Sweet oloroso, grapes, rich fortified wine. Beernuts, candied almonds. Swampy muddiness, like walking in bullrushes. Mint, green wine gums, envelope adhesive. An almost smoky element in there, too.
Great toffee sweetness. Brioche with nutella. Beernuts and candied almonds again. The intense oakiness gives a smoky impression, like pipe tobacco, or driving past a autumn garden fire. Aftertaste is very oaky, not too over powering or outstaying its welcome. Sweet like morning air after camping in the woods.
SUMMARY:
When I first tried this I was struck by how sherried it was and that I still liked it. I am not a sherry freak, but when sherry and malt combine in equal influence, the result is incredible. The powerful, oily barley spirit of Glengoyne (and Macallan, for that matter) match beautifully with this kind of oloroso cask. You also get the feeling that this was bottled just in time; any longer and the sherry might have won.
Malt Mission #46
Malt Mission #47
Malt Mission #48
Malt Mission #49
Malt Mission HOME
Glengoyne 17 yo
Single Malt
43% abv
£38.50
$89.95(CAD)
$73.00(USD)
NOMINATED in the 2008 DRAMMIES
*Most Under-rated whisky
Vote HERE (before Mar 6, 2009)
Glengoyne is an adorable distillery set at the foot of Dumgoyne Hill. It is also easy to visit as it is about 15 miles north of Glasgow and about half that distance from of Loch Lomond. I know they have spent a chunk of change to accommodate the visitors that cheap flights in and out of Glasgow have attracted by improving the visitors facility. The distillery used to be called Burnfoot of Dumgoyne and took its current name in 1905. Since 2003 it has been owned by Ian Macleod & Co.
Some quick things of note about Glengoyne that make it unique:
-It is officially the most southern Highland distillery as it straddles the
Highland/Lowland line; the distillery and water source are just north of the line, while the maturation warehouses are just south of the line.
-It is one of the few remaining distilleries that use Golden Promise barley(Macallan is another)
-It is completely unpeated
-It is the exciseman at Glengoyne, Mr Tedder(1889-93), who devised the standard for Scottish whisky that it
must be aged in casks for at least 3 years before it can be called “Scotch”
-It is haunted by the distillery manager of 1869-1899, Cochran Cartwright
TASTING NOTES:
Bittersweet and deeply pleasing to me. Chocolate, hard black raisins, Fruit and Nut bar. A little bit outdoorsy, hay and grass and fresh air. Malty yeasty distillery smell is present with some wine oakiness and a good fruity sweetness. Cant wait to taste it.
Oh baby… This is like diving into a cask for explanation of what oak aging does!!!
I get oak first that then explodes in two directions: (1)the flavours of raisins and chocolate, malt and yeast, wine and rum cake, and (2) vanilla yogurt creaminess and almost citric sweetness. It somehow remains light while having a great rich depth of flavour.
Soft sherry characteristics carry on for minutes. Long finish. This dram rocks my world. TGIF…
SUMMARY:
Rare is it that a nose gives and gives like this. So much pleasure and it doesn’t let up the longer and deeper you inhale. Rare is it that a nose matches the palate so closely... but it also takes it to the next level, as it should, giving us an expected oakiness of 17 years melding with these rich scents. They all swirl together in a damn tasty, sherry-heavy, but beautifully balanced whisky.
I seriously cannot fathom someone not liking this. Even crazy peat-freak Europeans or Grammy winning, tee-totaling Mary J Blige.
Look for it at duty free for a real steal(£27), but it is great value at any price.
Malt Mission #1
Malt Mission #2
Malt Mission #3
Malt Mission #4
Malt Mission #6
