No, we’re not finished with Glengoyne – we now move to the NAS bottlings. The Cask Strength is definitely the youngest of the lot, and is part of the trend of young NAS cask strength editions currently – see similar (and similarly priced) bottles by Tomatin, Benriach and Glendronach, among others for example. Earlier batches of this Glengoyne used to lean quite heavily towards the sherried side, but Batch 7 has some bourbon casks in the mix too (5% to be precise, with 32% first fill sherry and 63% refill casks).
Nose: This is young and very sweet – malty and biscuity, with caramel and a prominent honeydew melon note. I can’t help but think of millionaire’s shortbread, a bit like in the 12 year-old, although this comes with more vanilla, a hint of bubblegum, and some coconut and pencil shavings, no doubt due to its youth and the fresh oak used.
Palate: Very sweet, with a thick, almost syrupy mouthfeel. Tangerine, orange peel and a Fanta note in the background, along with lively ginger. Quite simple and young, but no off-notes.
Finish: Long, with a rather in-your-face vanilla sweetness and some varnish.
Comments: The Glengoyne Cask Strength is young, uncomplicated and vibrant. This batch is maybe a bit too vanilla-ed for my taste but quite fun nonetheless.
Score: 82/100
