Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 5

A gorgeous Glengoyne with luscious Sherry notes at full cask strength.

Originally called “Burnfoot Distillery,” George Connell officially started Glengoyne in 1833 — after the Excise Tax Law of 1823 made it cost effective to do so. The fact that good old George had been hauling full casks of Whisky out of the tree-lined glen since 1820 is purely a coincidence. Anyway, the point is that they have been making Single Malt Whisky here for a long time. Famously, they say the Glengoyne distilling process takes longer than any other in Scotland in order to deliver their unique richness and character.

Glengoyne Cask Strength Batch 5 is an NAS Single Malt, but don’t give that a second thought. The lack of a stated age is not a dodge at all. That’s because — like all Glengoyne Single Malts — they use no artificial colorings, nor do they chill-filter. The color is what it is because it is aged in a combination of first-fill and second-fill ex-Sherry casks. It is the variety of combined ages and casks that makes precise aging problematic. But the amazing, full-throated Sherry notes and 59.1% ABV mean you won’t care a bit.

Smartass corner:
The boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands — called “The Highland Line” — runs right through the distillery grounds just outside Glasgow. This means that the still-house sits officially in the Highlands, while the aging warehouse sits officially in the Lowlands.