Glengoyne 15 Year (Discontinued)

From a 5cl sample. Apples, caramel, honey, vanilla, malt, nutty sherry and baking spices. Like the 10 year, a little water opens it up. Finish lasts longer than I expected with a nice heat and spicy smoulder.

S: Sweet; butterscotch; butter; lanolin; funk; a horsey/barnyard character; perhaps sulfur from candling? Oxidation from cheap miniature cap? Vanilla, oak, cantaloupe; bourbon? Fruity notes are there, but masked by Sherry influence. Like dark chocolate covered raspberries. T: arrives sulfury, tangy, with dry toffee; waxy. In the development goes sweet to dry, heavy on the Sherry influence without being a sherry bomb; complex - a lot going on- winey in the development. Toward the end: peanut brittle; chestnuts, oak. Medium bodied, but quite slick. F: nutty, sweet (but not too sweet!), oaky, cantaloupe again, lighter finish than palate. Overall: this is a whisky that beginners and experienced malt maniacs could love alike. On a superficial level, it’s like Balvenie double cask, with a little more funk. But if you give this time, there are layers and layers to unfold. Makes me want to try the 12.

Prefer the 15, the sherry notes get weaker with youth. But still nice. Not as good as macallan 18, whereas glengoyne 18 and 21 are each on par with mac 18 if not better.

Didn't get a good taste of this one. Spicy when neat and then I think I put too much water in.

A welcoming whisky that leaves you thirsting for another pour. Delicate and smooth on the palate. Vanilla and caramel with a nice rounded finish. Just enough kick with 43% ABV too. This has definitely become a new staple on the shelf.