Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch No. 007

I was pretty tipsy to clearly sense it. For 58.9% vol whiskey, I needed to add a dash of water to drink. Nose : Sherry, Caramel, Honey Taste : Very spicy. Caramel, Honey, Pepper

Prefer with a dash of water.

Nose (neat): The scent of caraway seed cake baking as you walk through a pine forest. Surprisingly bright and resinous to start with and there is a distinct alcohol prickle, but that resolves into nutty and woody aromas over time. There's some toffee and leathery malt as well but this is crying out for dilution - the neat nose is wrapped as tight as can be. Nose (watered): Oh, that's better - waaaay better. Honey and the aroma of sweet flowering herbs. The leathery, spicy and toffee notes all sew together into a complex and very satisfying whole. Give this enough time and it veers towards the style of a north-east coast highlander. Palate (neat): Sweet grass and a lot of citrus (grapefruit especially) on the arrival. The high alcohol has to dissipate before the development kicks in and when it does it brings toasted bread, walnuts, and something like a high-proof sour-fruit liqueur. I've never actually tasted marine varnish (although I've painted enough of it) but if I had done so I imagine it would have tasted like this. There's a lot of various sharp spice notes swimming about as well - it's an unrelentingly powerful and busy palate. Palate (watered): Delicious - unrecognisable as the same whisky. Dried fruits, ripe bananas and earthy sherry underscoring a beautifully structured malt character. The spice is now much better managed and acts in a balancing and supporting role instead of shouting. As it develops, previously hidden coffee and dark chocolate notes emerge together with rough-cut Dundee marmalade. The texture is greatly improved. Finish (neat): Medium/long. More varnish and edgy spice notes, fading to a very slightly tannic aftertaste. Finish (watered): Medium/long. The varnish has disappeared and has been replaced by stewed pears. The overt tannic notes have retired and the aftertaste is a mild buzzy spice with cinnamon and clove apparent. Insane without water, lovely with it. I took this down a few drops at a time to what I'd estimate was somewhere in the 46% range. Once watered, give it time to sit and recompose and after 20 minutes or so it is most enjoyable. The palate, like the nose, moves much more towards a north-east character, somewhere between the townships of Wick and Brora. It is supposedly un-chillfiltered but the louche is minimal, so it must have aggressive barrier filtration. It continues to develop and open over time. I have to confess to not being a great fan of Glengoyne. I don't hate their whiskies at all, they just don't do much for me. This was certainly one of the better ones I've tasted but I prefer the 18 or the 21 year old expressions. They are both polished and refined from long maturation whereas this is a bit of a young thug. Still, for what it is the asking price is very reasonable and if you are a fan of the house style I can recommend this. Tasted from a purchased 30ml sample. "Good" : 83/100 (3.5 stars) (but only when diluted)