Scottish Whisky

Glengoyne 25 Year

/ / Highland, Review, Scottish Whisky / ,

Glengoyne 25 Year Old Sherry Oak
Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

48% ABV
$500-600
Website
Glengoyne 25 Year Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Distillery Says

Matured exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks for a quarter of a century, this unique malt is an important addition to the Glengoyne collection. This bright amber beauty has red fruits, leather and brown sugar on the nose and soft oak, cinnamon, stewed fruits and a Seville marmalade tang on the palate. The finish is very long with spicy liquorice. The malt is presented in a new heavy bespoke bottle and outer box. The bottle features a fine metal stopper, crafted cartouche and delicately branded neck tag and is attractively displayed in an oak box interior which includes an engraved plinth. The elegant exterior has a refined feather pattern subtly varnished on the pack.

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich and thick, deep fruit notes with figs, dates, apricots and raisins; soft worn leather with old books and a hint of cigar smoke.
Palate: Thick and syrupy mouthfeel, mincemeat pie with apples, figs and mandarin oranges; cinnamon, clove and a bit of anise.
Finish: Long and damp with cloves, anise, oak and a sour fruit note.
Comments: An absolute sherry bomb in all the right ways. All of the things you’d expect and hope for with 25 years in a sherried cask – that intense dark fruit flavors along with layers of complexity (not to mention a very respectable ABV). I hadn’t had a lot of Glengoyne (and in fact this is the first one I’ve reviewed on our site), but this is just a delightful and decadent offering.

Rating: Must Try/Must Buy

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Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

54.7% ABV
$375-600
Website
Cragganmore 1995 26 Years Old Single Cask Bottled 2022

What the Bottle Says

The First Editions – Aged in a Single Cask
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Distilled at Cragganmore Distillery
1995
Speyside Region
This Single Cask Was Bottled 2022 Aged 26 Years

From This Single Malt Scotch Whisky Expect

A rich, fruity, slightly spicy nose with plums, cherries, walnuts and some leather. Spicy on the palate with cinnamon, some ginger, walnuts and dark chocolate-coated raisins, leading into a long peppery finish.

Bottled at Cask Strength, Non Chill Filtered, Not Couloured

Approved by Andrew Laing

One of 300 bottles from a Sherry Butt
HL19119
54.7% Alc by Vol
Edition Spirits LTD. G3 6AX 700 mL

What Gary Says

Nose: Rich with coffee cake, stewed plums, raisins, floral notes, earthy with citrus notes.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel with fruitcake, raisins, figs, apples, pears, ginger, cinnamon and chili oil.
Finish: Moderately long and damp with dark fruit, bit of peat and chili oil.
Comments: Very interesting trying this alongside the Cragganmore 25 Year Limited Edition; you can definitely pick up on the familial resemblance (especially the chili oil note). This was otherwise more intensely flavored, and far more darker given the sherry butt maturation which isn’t a surprise. This also benefits from some time in the glass, and a bit of water which brings out notes of toffee on the nose and some dark chocolate notes on the palate..

Rating: Must Try

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Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside /

Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

51.4% ABV
$375-600
Website
Cragganmore 25 Years Old Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle Says

Aged 25 Years
The Best of Speyside
Cragganmore
Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Natural Cask Strength
An elegant, sophisticated Speyside with the most complex aroma of any malt. Astonishingly fragrant with rich dried fruits and a finely scented finish.

[Additional details found on various other websites indicate this was released in 2014 as part of Diageo Special Releases; distilled in 1988 and matured in refill American and European oak casks, with only 3,372 bottles released; my sample was from bottle 2,765.]

What Gary Says

Nose: Light, heather, floral, vanilla, honey, grassy with a hint of earthy mineral note and nylon rope.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, warming with vanilla custard, orange blossom honey, baked apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and chili oil.
Finish: Moderate in length, drying with citrus and cracked pepper.
Comments: This is a nice, nuanced single malt. It definitely benefits from some time in the glass.  I also preferred it with a few drops of water, which brought out notes of tangerines on the nose and thickened the mouthfeel as it tamped the spicier edges (and brought more citrus to the party). I tried this alongside another Cragganmore offering of similar age (26 year old), and this was noticeably lighter in color.

Rating: Stands Out

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Longmorn 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Review, Scottish Whisky, Speyside / ,

Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

53% ABV
$440-$600 (700 mL)
Website
Longmorn 25 Year Limited Release Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

Limited Release
Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Triple Cask Matured
American Oak Barrels, Hogsheads and Butts

Rich and fruity on the nose with notes of ripe plum, fresh peach, plump sultanas and a touch of cinnamon. Incredibly sweet on the palate with a hint of spice. Dry in character, the finish is long and smooth.

Non Chill-Filtered
Cask Strength

What Gary Says

Nose: Leather, stewed fruits, plums, raisins, tangerines, peaches, oak, cinnamon and sultanas.
Palate: Creamy mouthfeel, fruit with peaches, apples, pears and kiwi, cracked pepper, chili oil and oak.
Finish: Long and drying with pepper spice fading to fruit notes.
Comments: This is just delightful (as I hoped it might be, given some wonderful expressions of Longmorn I’ve had the pleasure to try. This has a bit more bite than some of those, and time in the glass helps this one quite a bit. A bit of water also helps tamp down those sharper edges, and brings a bit more of a citrus bent to the fruit notes on the nose (although this drinks really well at 53%)
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out/Must Try

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Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition

/ / Island, Review, Scottish Whisky /

Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition
Single Malt Scotch Whisky

45.8% ABV
$920
Website
Talisker 25 Year Limited Edition Single Malt Scotch Whisky

What the Bottle* Says

From the rugged western shores of the Isle of Skye comes a richly flavoured, maritime malt, with a warming afterglow. So easy to enjoy yet, like Skye itself, so hard to leave.
Bottle 0516 of 2100
Distilled at Talisker
The Only Distillery On The Isle of Skye

What Gary Says

Nose: Peat, earthy, smoked meat with salty, briney sea air, citrus, oak and creosote.
Palate: Creamy and thick mouthfeel with honey, vanilla, nutmeg, toffee, caramel, milk chocolate and peat.
Finish: Long and damp with honey, chocolate orange and bit of peat smoke.
Comments: I love how the nose on this leans into the peaty/earthy/smokey goodness that you’d expect from Talisker. If you weren’t familiar, the palate might catch you off guard with the honeyed sweetness where the peat smoke steps back quite a bit. This is a really lovely expression from Talisker, although I can’t imagine paying retail for it.
* As is often the case with limited editions or private selections – in particular of Scotch whisky – the distillery makes no mention of this particular offering on their website – so the bottle (which has limited details) is all there is to go on.

Rating: Stands Out

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