Scotch

Glengoyne 25 Year Old

$600

OVERALL
RATING

Whisky Review: Glengoyne 25 Year Old

by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti
February 29, 2024

Tasting Notes:

About:

Scotch single malt aged a quarter of a century exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks; bottled at 48% ABV; priced at $600.

Appearance:

This has a rich, coppery red glow in the glass, reflecting its sherry cask origins, highlighting within a moderate leg structure and slight viscosity.

Nose:

All sherry, all the time, as soon as this drifts near my nose. Aromatics reflected within include dried figs, raisins, rich chocolate, toffee pudding, and hints of leather.

Palate:

A quarter of a century in sherry oak makes this shine on the palate without breaking a sweat. It is all here – warm oak, rich fig, raisins galore, decadent chocolate, yummy hazelnut, and lovely butterscotch.

Finish:

Like a dream, this drifts in my back throat, taking its own time to fade away, and with me in no hurry to see it go.

Comments:

This is a classic sherry bomb style, which is an approach I always love when done well under a solid cask management program. This whisky showcases itself to be as such. You need a bottle.

Glengoyne 25 Year Old review — We review Glengoyne 25 Year Old, a Scotch single malt aged a quarter of a century exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks. (image via Glengoyne)

Editor’s Note: The party behind this whisky gave us a review sample. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review. It should also be noted that clicking the buy link in this review earns our site a small referral payment, which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

Scotland’s Glengoyne distillery, founded in 1833, is considered a Highland region whisky-making operation. It was founded back in 1833, with critical notes for this brand including claims of having one of the longest distillation processes in all of Scotland, making use of air-dried barley, and aging their whisky in custom-made, European and American oak casks that take six years to prepare before they are considered to have new make spirit added to them.

The whisky I’m reviewing today, the Glengoyne 25-Year-Old, is not part of the distillery’s core collection but rather is a more limited Fine & Rare category offering. As the age statement implies, this Scotch single malt is aged a quarter of a century exclusively in hand-selected sherry casks. It is bottled at 48% ABV and priced on average around $600, depending upon where you are shopping.

According to Glengoyne, a fun thing to note regarding the 25-year-old is examples of food it pairs well with. Pairing whisky with something that’s not just simple bar food or random munchables is only sometimes considered, but with a higher-end product such as this, it can make for a great wine substitute. In the case of this Scotch, suggested pairings include glazed ham, rhubarb, and blue cheese.

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