Review by: zSolaris

Distillery: Glengoyne.

Region: Highland.

Age: 11 Year. Distilled on April 14th, 2010. Bottled in October of 2021.

ABV: 58.3% Cask Strength.

Cask Type: Fresh sherry butt.

Cask Number: 1181.

Price: $14/oz.

Color: 1.8, Old Oak. Natural Color and Non-Chill Filtered.

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Nose: Oh this is going to be a sherry bomb. The nose is absolutely dominated by sherry with some notes of raisins, craisins, and dried cherries as well.

Palate: Even at full strength, this is super easy drinking. The nose teased that it would be sherry forward and it absolutely delivers on the palate. There’s an old oak note along with those dried fruits from the nose again. Some toasted almond slices come in as well. With a splash of water, it starts to liven up a bit. A bit of heat comes through as well as some chocolate and caramel creams coming through to join the nuts and fruits. With a little more water, it cools down again. The chocolate and caramel cream notes are still very present. The dried fruit notes, however, are gone and replaced by a mix of berry and grape jams.

Finish: Medium to long in length. The mixed berry and grape jam is what lingers the longest. A touch of oak stays along with it.

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Conclusion: I haven’t had a sherry bomb nor a Glengoyne in a while now so I was definitely excited to jump into it. Just looking from the outside at the color set a certain level of expectation about what kind of whisky this would be and boy did it deliver. It’s a sherry bomb through and through and I loved every second of it. The nose all but smacks you around with a sherry cask and the palate just follows through with it very quickly. The transformation from drier notes of oak, nuts, and dried fruits to sweeter candy and jam notes with water was delightful. I’m left wanting more of it, though I’d probably drink through it much faster than I have any business doing.

Final Score: 85.

Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable whisky.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent whisky worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.