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Glengoyne 30 Year Old Review

What happens when Scotland's slowest distilled whisky spends three decades in hand-selected sherry casks? This rare Glengoyne delivers unexpected Cadbury magic.

OVERALL RATING

8
$1340
  • Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant with over a decade of experience in whisky retail and online whisky education. Best known for hosting Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, he is dedicated to making whisky accessible and enjoyable by cutting through jargon and complexity.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Matured in hand-selected sherry oak casks of exceptional character, this annual Glengoyne release of only 5200 bottles is the taste of 30 years, held in a single dram. Our finest sherry casks are left almost entirely to their own devices for 30 years. Almost, but not quite. Twice, perhaps three times in three decades, our malt master will taste this ongoing alchemy of cask and spirit. His aim: to hand-select only the best sherry oak casks. Each decade has added deep colour, intense flavour and limitless complexity to the precious contents. Only the best can become Glengoyne 30 Year Old.
Appearance:
Dark Red
Nose:
I know it’s cliché, but this smells exactly like a Cadbury Fruit & Nut Bar. Loads of marinated fruits, hazelnuts, dry peanuts, milk chocolate, there’s even a touch of Cognac to it. There are some lighter notes to it as well, I’m getting some really nice lemon zest notes – something to elevate above the heaviness of the other aromas. The chocolate is morphing into chocolate orange with some of those other citrus notes, too. It’s a really fruit drive style of sherry, those drying, nuttier notes have faded from the first smell. It has these dark cherry notes, and cherry syrups, along with other big, red, juicy fruits.
Palate:
Silky, rich and syrupy upon first arrival. The dryness of the sherry and the ABV starts to move in after that. More rich Cognac notes of pastries, brown butter and red apples. Those cherry notes sit and lay around for quite a while as those drier, nuttier notes start to move through the tongue. At no point does this become bitter or overpowered by either ABV or sherry, you can feel loads of different things moving around at once. Sticky dates, grapefruit oils, lemon zest, orange oils, cocoa nibs, milk chocolate, sweet liquorice and some crystallised ginger.
Finish:
A delicate, light and slightly alcohol fume driven finish. You get these little backdrafts of booze as the sweetness starts to mov away from your tastebuds. You do get some more bitterness now but it’s welcome. It’s dark chocolate, gentle oak influences, more of that lemon zest for some brightness. It’s long and delicate with all of the flavours from the taste section moving across your tongue to give a huge range of flavour.
Comments:
If big, old sherry cask matured whiskies are your thing then this will not miss a beat.

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.

Phil Dwyer

Phil Dwyer is a freelance whisky writer and consultant. With a decade of experience in whisky retail and nearly as long running Whisky Wednesday on YouTube, Phil is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with fellow whisky lovers. His goal is to make whisky accessible and enjoyable, dispelling the jargon and complexity that can sometimes surround the spirit. In addition to his online presence, Phil managed The Whisky Shop Manchester, where he curated an impressive selection of some of the finest drams available.

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