A trip to Glengoyne
Founded in 1833, Glengoyne famously straddles the boundary between two whisky regions. Spirit runs from pot stills that nestle above the Highland line then ages in oak casks that rest in Lowland warehouses.
The distillery sits around 14 miles from Glasgow and such proximity to the population centres of the central belt would have been of significant benefit in the early days. Glengoyne was doubly fortunate as it qualified for the tax breaks afforded to Highland distillers whilst being close to the blending houses of Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Glengoyne is owned by Ian MacLeod Distillers who recently announced the rebuild of Rosebank distillery in Falkirk. That will increase the organisation’s distillery portfolio to three, with Tamdhu in Speyside completing the line-up.
Glengoyne is one of the most accessible distilleries in Scotland. A short 50 minute bus journey from Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station will drop you right at the gates. Yet despite this proximity to the largest city in the country, the small cluster of distillery buildings are completely surrounded on all sides by beautiful countryside and seem to huddle at the foot of Dumgoyne hill, a 427m volcanic plug that once acted as a lookout point for the illicit distillers that plied their trade in the valley below.
Frequent tours of the distillery run throughout the day and when I visited in early February I found a site brimming with tourists, due, at least in part, to French Rugby fans who were in the country for the Six Nations fixture the following day. In truth, it was a little too busy for my liking. At one point there were three different tour groups in the still-house at the same time and it made hearing our guide a little difficult. Fortunately, I had visited Glengoyne before but others weren’t so lucky. Of course, I understand that Glengoyne are only trying to meet demand and don’t want to turn people away but I’m sure the experience would have been better had the tours been spaced out a bit more.
Nonetheless, Glengoyne is a well maintained and attractive distillery with three copper stills that patiently produce a famously unpeated spirit. The tour concluded with a tasting of three drams… an 18 year old, 21 year old and Cask Strength expression. Each was a fine dram in its own right, with the 18 in particular standing out, but considering my focus on the affordable side of the market, I opted to purchase a bottle of the Cask Strength.
Bottled at 59.1% abv, the Glengoyne cask strength is available in the UK for around £50.
The Whisky
Smell: Vanilla cream and honey with biscuity malt, a touch of sherried dry fruits, some apples and pears and even a wee bit of banana.
Taste: Salted caramel, oak, malt and biscuit. Pepper and vanilla. Wee lemon note too.
Thoughts: You’re not likely to find a cask strength single malt for less than £50 these days. Credit to Glengoyne for keeping the price so sensible. Sure, it’s no-age-statement but the quality in the bottle more than justifies it. The further up the range you go, the more sherry influence you will find in Glengoyne malts. The Cask Strength, however, seems to offer a nice balance between sherry, refill and bourbon. It is a robust dram of rich flavour that comes at a very reasonable price. Great stuff.
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