Glengoyne Cuartillo

Soft, fruity, nice, slightly smoky

This is a newer, travel retail exclusive, NAS whisky from Glengoyne: Cuartillo. It’s young whisky that was fully matured in ex-American Oloroso sherry casks. It’s light gold with undefined legs and a watery appearance with heavy drops. It’s bottled at 40% (boo) and cost me $37 from an online, UK retailer. The nose is mostly fresh apples and toffee with some faint sherry wine notes and light citrus. The oak is very contained and isn’t easily coerced from the glass. The palate focuses on orchard fruits, namely apples and pears, and there’s a little peppery oak bleeding through by mid sip. The mouthfeel is watery and weak with undertones of youthful spirit. The finish is short and vanilla sweet with some lingering sawdust. Overall, it’s pretty bland and lacks any complexity. It’s obviously another NAS one trick pony, but the cheap price and the fact it’s a liter bottle make up some points in the VFM column. Still, there’s better whisky out there- even from Glengoyne. 2.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.

Nose - Honeyed apples & pears, orange zest, caramel, golden raisins, baked green apples Taste - Very thin, sweet lightly bitter pressed apple juice, skin, stems & all, light vanilla frosting sweet, watered down honey, orange pith bitterness Finish - Lingering light tingle, fruity apple stem bitterness, orange pith bitter Score - 70/100 Final Thoughts - Great nose on this one but after it hits the palate everything changes. It has pleasant flavors, but it's quite thin & there's this overall fruity bitterness that's very distracting. Instead of complementing the other flavors, it's the dominant flavor and all you get from start to finish on the palate is this fruity bitterness that seems like they tried to mask it by watering it down as much as they could. Would I drink it if offered? - Maybe Would I specifically order it? - No Would I buy a bottle? - No

delicate flavors of honey and vanilla. Some wood but less than expected and spices, would say more ginger than cinnamon.