Glengoyne is a distillery I am not very familiar with. Of course, I have tasted a few of their whiskies, and I also have a bottle of Tea Pot Dram in my collection, but I am not very familiar with the brand. Dr Jekyll’s in Oslo is one of my favourite whisky bars, and when Glengoyne launched this particular madeira hogshead single cask chosen by Dr Jekyll’s, I knew I had to jump on it. And boy, am I happy I did.

At an ABV of 57 %, one has to be a bit careful when nosing this whisky. Nosing too enthusiastically will burn your nostrils, believe me, I know. The colour is dark and enticing, its one of those whiskies you just instantly know will taste delicious. On the nose, I am getting notes of wood, red apples, dark fruits, raisin, cherry, creamy vanilla, a little bit of nutty caramel, ending with a whiff of wax.

The initial sip really warms my throat. The familiar wood notes are the first thing I taste like I tend to do in most whiskies, but particularly when finished in fortified wine casks like this one. It is a quite heavy whisky, yet fruity on the palate. The taste is dominated by those dark, rich fruits like cherries (a lot of them), some plum, and raisin, although the raisin is a lot more apparent on the nose than on the palate, and is finished off with vanilla ice cream with a light toffee drizzle on top.

I simply love the looong finish. It is dark, it is lush, it is bloody delicious. Those dark fruits and jammy notes linger in my mouth, making me feel like I am sporting wine-stained lips before it ends on a drier note. I will be passionately loving it for the rest of eternity, that’s how good it is.

Madeira Hogshead, cask 1021
ABV: 57 %
Country: Scotland

Glengoyne was founded by George Connell in 1833, originally as Burnfoot Distillery. It is situated at Dumgoyne, just north of Glasgow in Scotland, and is unique in producing Highland single malt matured in the Lowlands.

https://www.glengoyne.com/