Glengoyne 15 Year (Discontinued)

Barreled in first fill bourbon and finished in sherry casks. https://youtu.be/WaDcOhX4Tzs. https://youtu.be/jdAjPbgmtXk. Smells, and tastes a bit, like bailed hay (shortbread also makes sense), and it is quite smooth. A rich flavour and the aroma is fruity, with vanilla shortbread and some brown sugar.

Little spicy, some hints of vanilla and nutmeg, touch of almonds, nugat and salted caramel

Nose: Woody and fruity notes, faint lemon oil, restrained sherry. Malted milk chocolate balls and a touch of mint. Palate: Rich malty flavours, vanilla, toffee, nuts, caramel, dried fruits, cocoa and some warm gingery spice notes. The mouthfeel is excellent, very rich, sweet, soft and just a little oily. The texture is delightful and one of the best parts of the experience. Finish: Medium/long and smooth with chocolate toffee and some sweet spiced citrus. A soft and pleasant whisky with the single fault that after being open for several months oxidization had caused the toffee notes to dominate the palate. This was a pity as it obscured the rest of the profile and made it a little cloying. Still, it's a very well made and reasonably priced 15 year old highlander that falls a little short of 4 stars for me. (I'm puzzled by the official score of 95. This ranks it as equal to Bruichladdich Black Art 4, Laphroaig 25 and Hakushu 25, and seems extremely ... generous). “Good” : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

Kept in decanter

I haven't been into scotch for a great deal of time but being a long time fragrance and coffee enthusiast I do know a thing or two about quality. This one is my favourite drop so far, first smell and taste was such a treat as is every glass from then on. Very rich but extremely smooth, I wouldn't say a finishing bite necessarily but definitely a lot of solid presence there. For me it's a solid, genuine and beautiful to drink whisky. It's going to take something special for this to be beaten in my book.

95? I suppose, if you're looking for something to put you to bed. I'm going to have to agree with Jim Murray: this one is a lullaby. There's malted barley, vanilla, and cinnamon. But just as important, I now have something other than chamomile to help me phase into the night.

Okay time for a proper review! On the nose I get sweet fruit cakes and jelly, with a very rich perfumed waft. Drinking it I immediately recognize salted caramel, and a handful of plums and raisins that you just sink your teeth into before sucking them dry. I also get the feeling like I ate some cocoa powder with it. Very sweet, but not confectionary sweet. Sort of overripe I would say. The finish is dry and lingers for a decent amount of time. At the end I get black pepper. I’m still torn because this isn’t a knock your socks off whiskey, nor is a slouch in the least. It’s, dare I say, smooth. It’s light and accessible to newcomers yet for the seasoned pro (which I hope to one day be), you could find its place among others of its kind. Also, the $60 price tag for a 15 year old will keep me running to this before any of the big brands, and you’re not losing out on so much. I would like to try the others in this line, but for now this is good! Edit [06/2017] - After having the bottle open for some time with the contents being depleted to about half, the overall spice and ripeness has given way to a strong salted dark chocolate caramel covered cherry flavor profile. Still quite enjoyable, so the score remains the same.