The Glengoyne 10 and 12 year old releases are solid clean, but unremarkable Highland malts. They exemplify the spirit of the region as well as anything out there, but fail to stand out in any way. I’m hoping that Glengoyne can set themselves apart from the herd in some way with a few extra years in the barrel. Let’s see how they did. Nose: Green grape, gala apple, pear, and apricot. Plum, raspberry, blackberry, and raisin/dried cranberry. Honey dew. Milk and white chocolate, caramel, and vanilla. Fresh-baked brownie. Coconut, pineapple, and orange. Cocoa. A jammy/molasses note. Almond and macadamia. Heavy oak with white pepper, clove, and nutmeg. Palate: Vanilla, toffee, milk chocolate, malt, brownie. and butterscotch. Marshmallow. A cherry pie note with more of the plum and raisin, now with date and fig. Dried cranberry. Orange citrus/orange peel. Cocoa. Almond. Apple, pear, apricot fall into the background but are still present. Heavy oak, clove, nutmeg, and white pepper. Finish: More of the heavy malt chocolate, with vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. Dried cranberry. Peanut butter and almond. White grape, gala apple, and pear. Plenty of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, white pepper, and of course, oak. Glengoyne really hit their mark with this one. This is a sherry-heavy malt that doesn’t fall into the category of over-sherried flamboyance that often plagues the genre. Glengoyne is methodical in their approach here. The result is a balanced effort that presents a nice merger of fruit-forward notes and a healthy dose dessert; this is absolutely the best iteration of the Glengoyne profile I’ve had to date. 4.25/5. Well worth the $129 price of entry. I’m glad to have ventured far enough into the Glengoyne line to experience a properly-matured expression. Next, I think I’ll take a half step back and go for the 15 year. Glengoyne has certainly earned my interest with this one.