Review 101
10/20/12
Glengoyne 10 Year: 43% abv
Glengoyne is a unique distillery, or at least advertises themselves as such. They really like to promote the fact that they dry their barley by air, as per their slogan, “The pure taste of malt”. What does this mean? Well lots of methods of drying barley exist, including peat. I’m also happy to report that their whisky doesn’t have any caramel colorant, and at 43% abv, this whisky certainly approaches a craft presentation. So what does the “pure taste of malt” tastes like.
On the nose, you will get a strong, grainy smell right up front. There is a ton of malt character to it, with barley sugar, wheat and mild oak right up front. There is a vegetal quality to the smell, which starts to approach a smell of subtle fresh cut grass, and contains a slightly floral scent. This natural grain and greenness is complimented by sweet champagne, sugarcane, vanilla, green apple and pear. Because of this wonderful smell, the taste was an encouraging following. And it is.
The arrival is mellow at first, with vanilla, slight ginger zip, and big malt flavor. The arrival was crisp and light, but grainy. Now the taste is big. It is hugely malty, wheat-like grain, and then a ton of spices. The spicy notes include hutmeg, cumin, mint, and after water, subtle pepper. There is also sherry, slightly mellowed banana, and cream. It is really enjoyable. From here, the finish is very complex, holding light tartness, and sweet lemon.
The malt is most prominent here that lasts for a long time. There is also vanilla, green apple, pleasant sherry, and mint. There is also a sweet cake batter-y like sweetness, and it becomes dry at the end of the finish, with some cinnamon. So this a fantastic malt whisky, and water mellows it out. It is very well balanced, with a great amount of flavor. Recommended for the price.
8.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment