Just a few months ago Glengoyne announced the return of their 15-year-old. I’m not quite sure when the Glengoyne 15 Years was removed from their core range (I reviewed it in early 2017), but it’s back now.

I thought I came across a more exact cask recipe somewhere, but I can’t for the life of me remember where. It for sure wasn’t the press release, because it only mentions maturation in first-fill sherry and bourbon casks.

It also talks about their slow distillation, which I suppose it’s true, but they also confidently state that “Glengoyne’s spirit spends three times as long in its stills than other whiskies.” And, you know, that’s just kind of a broad statement. What whiskies? All whiskies?! How long is long? But that’s just he nature of some of these marketing exercises I guess.

Anyway, this is Glengoyne’s signature slow-distilled spirit aged for 15 years in bourbon and sherry casks. And given that I generally quite like their output, I’m actually looking forward to tasting the new Glengoyne 15 Years.

Glengoyne 15 Years (43%, OB, 2022)

Nose: Malty with sweet barley, straw and sugared cereals, as well as a tinge of orange peel, cassis and cinnamon apples. Some roasted nuts, butter, chocolate and light floral notes too. Excellent, and especially well-balanced.
Taste: Rich mouthfeel and somewhat spicy, with a touch of oak shavings, cloves and black pepper, but also vanilla custard, fudge and stewed apples. Finally some sweet pastries and sultanas.
Finish: More of the above. Medium in length.

Conclusion

A nice return to form for the Glengoyne 15 Years. I might even like it slightly better than the previous iteration. Back then I commented on how it was good value for money. I can't remember what the Glengoyne 15 Years used to cost, but I can't reach the same conclusion for this revived version. It's very tasty, yet at the going price of approximately 80 euro I can't in good conscience call it a reasonably priced single malt.

8.5

Sample provided by De Monnik Dranken