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Glengoyne 18 Year Old Review

What happens when a Highland distillery ages its whisky in the Lowlands? Glengoyne 18 Year defies geography while delivering refined elegance in every sip.

OVERALL RATING

8
$150
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Glengoyne is a highland distillery situated along the ruggedly beautiful Highland Way in Scotland, just outside of Glasgow. I know this because my sister and I hiked to Glengoyne in 2023. It is as picturesque as anything you can imagine. Nestled into a hillside with a small waterfall just meters from the distilling operation. This bottle represents the 18 year variation in the core range for Glengoyne and is the oldest readily available age statement before you enter their premium “sherry finish” lineage which includes whisky that is 21 and older.

The 18 is matured in a generous share of Olorosso Sherry Casks, the Highland Single Malt is full bodied, round and rich with notes of Marzipan for a long warming finish.

Something interesting I learned from the distillery tour is the distillery production is located in the Highlands of Scotland but the rickhouses where the whiskey is aged is technically in the Lowlands of Scotland. Which is a neat quirk of human imposed geography as the only true indicator of separation between the distillery and the rickhouses was a small road.
Appearance:
Summer wheat – medium slow legs.
Nose:
The nose is soft but rich. I found malts with a tangy mustard notes, touch of peat, wheat grass, clover, vanilla, green apples and a dance of honey greets the nose.
Palate:
We start off with a nice tingling to the tongue, a greeting of honey, charcoal. This is a light weight whiskey it isn’t hitting you across the face with flavor but there is refinement in the age and delicate profile. There are cereal grains, bourbon oak is a nice deeper note, before giving way to peppercorns on the lips.
Finish:
Watery mouthfeel with a medium to light hold. Present notes of charcoal, oak, spring grass, and just a touch of chocolate.
Comments:
It’s November in Scotland, my sister and I are huddled at a bus stop waiting for our ride back to Glasgow. We pull out a mini of Glengoyne 18 which we had purchased from the distillery earlier in the day. It’s maybe 4 degrees Celsius and stand sipping on this tremendous whisky while we wait. We are lost and miles from hotel but having one of the best days of our lives. The journey that day was one we hope never to forget. It ends with the absolute generosity of the Scots who didn’t know us from Adam but helped in every way imaginable. We caught our bus, got dropped off in Bulloch (the bus detoured to drop us off exactly at the train station to ensure we wouldn’t get lost), we wondered over to get pint at Glenroy Bar while waiting for our train home. Ultimately we made it to our hotel in Glasgow, a tired, cold, a little wet, but laughing full bully laughs from the day.

Glengoyne 18 is part of one of my happiest recent memories. That’s what a good Scotch should be about. Even now sampling this 18 year, I recall the smells of that trip, the laughs, and the memories. To me this is an excellent Scotch and one everyone should try. Raise a glass with those you love and can’t live without, you will never regret it.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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