Scotch

Glengoyne 25 Year Old

$600

OVERALL
RATING

10

Glengoyne 25 Year Old Wins Best Scotch At The Whiskey Wash Awards 2025

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

The Whiskey Wash reviews team sampled 120 different scotch whiskies in 2024. Hailing from every whisky distilling region of Scotland and spanning a variety of styles and profiles, these scotches were tasted and scrutinized by our reviews team. In the end, one scotch whisky emerged as an exceptional expression: Glengoyne 25 Year Old. 

Bottled as a Fine & Rare addition to Glengoyne Distillery’s portfolio, the Glengoyne 25 Year Old was matured exclusively in sherry casks. Glengoyne Distillery is a small operation located just south of Loch Lomond. However, the size of the distillery does nothing to hinder the quality of the expressions produced there. Glengoyne certainly packs a punch, especially the 25 year old. 

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The Whiskey Wash Awards 

The Whiskey Wash Awards stand apart from traditional competitions. Unlike many industry awards, we operate independently with no entry fees. Our unique approach involves meticulously analyzing all whisky reviews published on our platform throughout the year. The highest-scoring expressions are then honored with Silver, Gold, and Double Gold medals.

Crucially, neither the producers nor the whiskies themselves are aware of their potential for recognition. This eliminates any commercial influence on our reviewers, ensuring an unbiased and authentic evaluation. Our panel of judges comprises passionate whisky enthusiasts dedicated to celebrating the finest spirits.

Glengoyne 25 Year Old 

This exceptional Glengoyne 25 Year Old hails from the esteemed Fine & Rare series by Glengoyne Distillery, nestled south of Loch Lomond in Scotland. Matured exclusively in sherry casks for a quarter-century, this single malt boasts a robust 48% ABV. Initially released with a suggested retail price of approximately $600, it has garnered significant demand, with current market prices ranging from around $555 both on the secondary market and at select retailers.

Why Glengoyne 25 Year Old Has Been Named Best Scotch At The Whiskey Wash Awards

Glengoyne 25 Year Old was sampled by The Whiskey Wash founder, Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, in February 2024

The Glengoyne 25 Year Old showcases the exquisite results of a carefully managed sherry cask maturation program. The sherry casks were handpicked by the distillery team for their quality and active status, allowing a huge amount of sherry-influenced flavor into the profile. 

I recently asked Nino what he thought about the Glengoyne 25 Year Old. “The Glengoyne 25-Year-Old is a classic sherry bomb style, which is an approach I always love when done well under a solid cask management program,” he said. “For me, Scotch whisky doesn’t get any better than this.”

‘Scotch Whisky Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This’ 

This achievement by Glengoyne is especially remarkable considering the huge variety in style that comes out of Scotland. Glengoyne is a Highland expression (just – its warehouses, located over the road from the distillery, are considered to be in the Lowlands). Highland whisky is renowned for notes of rich fruit, floral sweetness, chocolatey notes, and citrus. This particular scotch whisky encompasses a classic Highland style, perfectly balanced over 25 years of maturation. Bravo, Glengoyne. 

Glengoyne 25 Year Old: Best Scotch of 2025, Double Gold

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)

Original Notes by Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

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.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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