Glengoyne 21-year-old

Name: Glengoyne 21-year-old
Brand: Glengoyne
SKU: 41501
Rating: 88.05 (1308 reviews)

Overall rating: 88.05/100
votes: 1308

Whiskybase ID: WB41501
Category: Single Malt
Distillery: Glengoyne
Bottler: Distillery Bottling
Bottled: 27.01.2016
Stated Age: 21 years old
Casktype: Sherry Casks
Strength: 43.0 % Vol.
Size: 700 ml 700 ml
Label: Unhurried Since 1833 (Black Label)
Barcode: 5010852026610
Added on: 18 Apr 2013 9:19 pm

Average value

€ 167.36

Found 7 online shops. Lowest price:

€ 139.99

	Van der Heijden - Eindhoven	€ 145.00

	The Really Good Whisky Company	£ 150.00

	Weinzentrum München	€ 161.00

	Erb Getränke	CHF 179.00

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Whisky Reviews for Glengoyne 21-year-old

194 users have left a review for this whisky and scored it an average of 88.05 points

Cask1988 did not rate this whisky
24 Jul 2018 12:46 am

Just let the whisky do the talking..We could spend hour after hour talking about the body, nose, taste, structure, finish and so on but not with this one..i just don’t feel like when i smell this..

Just pour yourself a dram, let it sit and breath for about 30 minutes. No for real...let it sit for this amount of time. Don’t you touch it. Not just yet.

Find yourself the most comfortable position possible and just enjoy without a single word...oh man what a dram!

Best 95 euro’s ever spent! This is what whisky supposed to be.
Pollenflug scored this whisky 89 points
30 May 2017 5:49 pm
Conclusion and pictures on: https://tomtrinkt.de

Nose

Immediately after pouring intense Sherrynoten flow from my glass. Fresh, red fruits dominate, especially cherries, strawberries and raspberries. A good portion of vanilla / caramel, raisins and orange peel add further accents. The abundance of flavors is enveloped by noticeable wood flavors, old leather and fresh pipe tobacco. The nose is tuned very harmoniously for my feeling. The spicy and leathery aromas can already draw conclusions about a decent age.

Taste

Very sweet and soft at first, followed by a mild bitterness. Dry, intense Sherrynoten put a first exclamation mark. Dark fruits dominate in the beginning (cherries, plums, preserved raisins, blackberries) with a fine note of honey and caramel sweets. Strong-spicy wood flavors, leather, pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and nuts follow quickly. The alcohol content of 43% is perfectly integrated. The variety of flavors comes to the fore - with 46% -48% the whisky would certainly be a bit "better / more interesting". An alcohol content of 48%, for example, the 25-year-old Glengoyne, even if he is priced in a different league.

Finish

Medium to long. Pleasantly warming and aromatic. The dark fruits say goodbye very fast, so that the spicy flavors quickly take over the tastefulness. Cinnamon, cloves, tobacco, dark chocolate and spicy oak notes follow. A noticeable bitterness and dryness arise.
Totoro scored this whisky 89 points
08 Oct 2018 10:31 am

A tad thin, but otherwise beautiful nose. Old-style, dry Oloroso and European-oak character. Intriguing, evanescent florals, thick stewed and/or dried fruits (plums, figs, cherries). Balsamic reduction, meat broth, soy sauce, sauteed mushrooms in Teryaki sauce, all kinds of umami. Oh boy, this would kill at a higher strength...

The taste suffers a bit from the low ABV, especially toward the death, where the mouthfeel and the aromas drop off and become too thin. A sad moment, because before that, there‘s a lot of joy to be had, with rich, oaky and sherry-laden cavalcades of flavor. There‘s enough earthy, leafy, fruity sherry to prolong the experience into a long, teeth-coating finish, but the oak is curiously silent at the end. I would’ve welcomed some more pronounced coffee-and-cocoa notes at the death.

All in all, I prefer the nose over the palate in this one.
Excellent whisky for anyone who wishes Glenfarclas would use less refill casks and push the sherry more, but be advised: the GF 25, at roughly the same price, boasts a more nuanced palate and a better/bigger body.
didi1893 scored this whisky 87 points
21 May 2018 3:49 pm
On the whole, this bottling is very successful, although I do not like the dominant harsh and dark wood tones in the aftermath. Likewise, I find the Glengoyne 21 with only 43% a little weak on the chest. The nose is auspicious, at the beginning of the first sip the world is still perfectly fine for me. Unfortunately, the sweet and fruity elements do not save themselves in the second part of the taste and the aftertaste. Here dominate the already mentioned bitter and slightly bitter wood flavors. Nevertheless, I do not want to talk bad about this malt and today award "only" 87 points. In any case, this Glengoyne gets the next few days a second chance.

Nose

Intense and strong amber shines in the glass while on the glass wall an oily streak has formed from which a few syrupy legs dissolve and run back into the premium sniffer with relish. Dark red berries and old caramel mix at the beginning of nosing to a fragrant mixture, a pinch of cinnamon falls into creamy milk chocolate. Sour cherries and plums rise, scuffing of orange peel trickles on dark caramel and creamy toffee. A touch of dry leather dissolves from the dark fruit mixture, old tobacco leaves exude their delicate fragrance. Overripe apples and lightly burnt sugar are added, the sweetish aromas are slowly gaining the upper hand. Sugar, caramel, toffee, vanilla and a hint of cinnamon powder are permeated with spicy woody elements and a hint of sulfur. The nose changes slowly and becomes tart and darker, spicy notes of wood and a hint of dark chocolate dominate the nose now.

Taste

Mild yet full-bodied, the first sip flows through the palate. Dark berries and spicy wood tones play together, the mouth becomes noticeably drier and tart. Sour cherries and plums appear before a subtle sharpness shyly covers the tongue. Somehow, the sharpness can not prevail and spicy, slightly tart wood tones dominate the taste. Dark caramel in combination with dark forest honey shows up, a touch of resin and pine needles flash up briefly. Echoes of furniture polish and dark wood notes end in a creamy mouthfeel. The second sip is initially mild and harsh, but I can hardly perceive fruit flavors now. The dark oak aromas outweigh, here and there dark caramel and a hint of sour cherries.

Finish

Herb and partly bitter, the dark oak flavors rest on the palate. Again furniture polish comes to my mind, which slowly covers the tongue and leaves a pale and harsh taste on the tongue. The mouthfeel becomes noticeably creamier and tart. Where were the fruit flavors and the sweet elements from the nose and the first sip? At the moment, the dark and tart wood flavors have completely taken over control, now and then sparkle dark chocolate and dark caramel. An indefinable spice note slowly dissolves from the harsh wood tones and makes the aftertaste but not quite so monotonous. At the end of the aftertaste dark coffee aroma rises, creamy, the tart and spicy aromas sound and leave behind a hint of butter and old wood in the lower jaw.
Cask1988 did not rate this whisky
12 Aug 2018 12:36 am
Oh man this is one hell of a treat. I told you before, let the whisky do the talking but i can't get it out of my head. It's a fact that i just have to do a tasting note for this one. If only it were that it just deserves it, big time! This is really good stuff. Spot on for my pallet.

Nose

This one definitely needs 20-30 in the glass to breath. It's a bit closed at first but you immediately are being made aware of it's maturity. It's a little mysterious. After letting it breath:
Man this is mature! Just beautiful. There a very refined sherry wood nose. It's smooth, it's creamy, it's mature, it's soft and oily. Ripe red fruits, and something syrupy. Almost maple syrup. Very gentle and refined spices/herbs. The depth in this one is amazing. A hint of Tobacco. Cigar leaves if you ask me. A little vanilla. Tanines complete a very thick bodied, mature nose. A very very convincing Glengoyne experience, i can tell you that!

Taste

Again it's soft. Perfectly balanced, amazingly full bodied and thick. Like the nose suspects it to be, it feels really syrupy. Well done! Almost sweet spices complement a hint of raspberry, cherries and some dried plumbs. There's a typical dry olorosso note at the and. Definitely wood. And when you keep it in your mouth for like 15-30 seconds dry spices will appear. It gives this one a little bite and all of a sudden there's a small explosion of soft red fruits at the end. Well done Glengoyne!!

Finish

When swallowing it, there's dry wood, oloroso sherry notes, plumbs and again very gentle spices. This one covers the mouth completely in a (again) syrupy, sticky way and it just doens't want to leave the pallet. Finish length...Does it ever end??
dongolzo81 scored this whisky 90 points
13 May 2021 10:39 pm
This drop is one of the reasons why I'm a "fanboy" of the distillery. Complexity, balance, perfection. After the design change, the price has now increased significantly, and this PLV filling was technically one of the best that was available on the market. Yes, you have to like strong Oloroso ripening and be tolerant of the intense influence of European oak - at the back, properly woody-dry-bitter. And so it is good that the malt is "only" bottled at 43% - this intensity could overwhelm you at cask strength. The 43% is often criticized, but I can't think of many bottlings that conjure up such a presence with 43% on the tongue and in the finish. Gets even better with every sip.
Especially considering the long prevailing issue price of ~ 100 €, this bottling can only be in the 90 point region. Compared to the 25yo, 28yo and 30yo there is another difference in quality, but the prices here are also in many areas.
Let's all keep our fingers crossed that Glengoyne can maintain this quality over time. Then it would be worth a few euros more to me ...

Nose

90 90

Taste

90 90

Finish

91 91
rottendon scored this whisky 87 points
19 May 2020 2:50 pm
Obviously there are extreme differences between the batches here. Either that or my daily form was bad at this blind tasting several years later. The rating is the average of the tastings.

All in all a rather average sherry malt, which unfortunately is also much too thin, which is not so noticeable in its strength due to its sharpness.

Notes from a blind online chat tasting.

Nose

84 84

A nice, dark fruit note (pickled fruit) greets you immediately after pouring. With an idea of cognac and a hint of herbs. If you take the glass off your nose, a very strong grain note remains for a few moments. After a while, the fruits (peaches and plums) are even more saturated! the cognac is gone, the herbs too, instead I find leather. Alcohol bites a little with hand warmth, then unfortunately soap comes, the fruits become lighter. The herbs come back, strong acidic notes complement the whole.

Taste

82 82

The consistency is quite thin, but the start is quite strong, a good pinch of white pepper frames the slightly sour fruits in honey. There are also noticeably bitter notes to the rear, again towards dry herbs. In the second sip, the sweetness comes much later, but a brandy note is dominant here right from the start. The acidity is more moderate, the fruits darker, burnt caramel.

Finish

83 83

In the finish it dries further, the acid remains a little bit, overall medium long. He definitely saw oak. A little sweeter in the second sip.
Moses scored this whisky 87 points
06 Nov 2019 1:05 pm
First of all, his problem is the 43%, what a shame, ... and the oak is too bad. But if you can handle it, you get an excellent whisky for the money. Complex for lukewarm. Compared to the 15 Fairy Flag, it is more on the dry, nutty sherry side.

Nose

Nose is one of the best at this age. All fruits introduce themselves and quickly mix with spicy tea notes. Tobacco and slightly sour raisins. So there is something on offer and over time it gets more and more complex.

Taste

Spicy for Christmas with fresh coffee and cloves, it is very malty on the go. Here the oak is dominant. Too bad. But with tobacco, cinnamon and good sherry notes, he does his job masterfully. Still above standard. He deserves respect.

Finish

Medium to long but rather on the dry side, it remains spicy and fruity on the palate at the same time. Now add orange peel and light apple. Already very tasty. But not top league.
rottendon scored this whisky 87 points
09 Oct 2015 2:12 am
My favorite, he actually has everything. If he was strong, there would be over 90 points.

Notes from a blind tasting.

Nose

Interesting nose, first no sherry, but super ripe apples and a lot of salt. And very much something that I call nose-feeling, that is, when the glass has long been gone, still stored a specific smell, or is verily occupied. Interestingly, I have mostly at Bourboncask whiskys. After a moment comes the sherry, but not dominant, but only here. Lots of salt and sea. Later loads of dark caramel. When heated, sherry dominates, still salty.

Taste

Very sweet, a lot of oak, coffee, menthol, salt and caramel. Well balanced, everything plays together nicely.

Finish

Still sweet, malty, with tannins and some menthol in the finish. Pretty long, becomes tartly salty to the rear, until at the end also, but tart nuttiness remains.
MGHOW scored this whisky 94 points
12 Mar 2021 10:42 am

This is the latest bottling. The old bottling I rated 94/100 and it was sublime.

Compared to the older bottling the nose is totally different. Young oak and tropical fruit, I am nervous and not hopeful about what this will actually be like.

Oh dear, it's awful. New oak, very dry and very little flavour.

What a total disaster, an abomination compared to what it used to be.

Hardly fit to drink to be honest with you.

A total waste of time. Dreadful stuff, and to think they have just increased the price. Incredible.

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