Glengoyne 14 year old 1999 Malts of Scotland, cask MoS 13044

Malts of Scotland had a significant presence in the indie bottling world 10 years ago, but I no longer see their single casks at European online retailers. Whiskybase shows MoS released 41 whiskies in 2023, so maybe their bottles don't leave Germany anymore. They've bottled some very good stuff and tend to have some bold sherry casks. Meanwhile, Glengoyne's spirit takes well to sherry casks...

Sadly I don't have any samples of the dreamy Glengoyne '72s, rather just a modest 1999 sherried hoggie that produced some dark stuff after only 14 years.

Distillery: Glengoyne

Distilled by: The Edrington Group
Current Owner: Ian MacLeod Distillers

Region: Highlands, but almost Lowlands!
Independent bottler: Malts of Scotland

Age: 14 years (July 1999 - October 2013)

Maturation: sherry hogshead
Cask number: MoS 13044
Outturn: 247 bottles

Alcohol by Volume: 54.3%
(from a bottle split)

NEAT

Not just a generic sherry beast! Ocean water, raw walnuts, and citronella are the first nose notes to show. Then there's molasses and dunnage, orange oil and black plums. The moderately sweet palate delivers a mix of grape jam, orange marmalade, and cinnamon Red Hots. Hints of iron and musty old wood drift through the background. It concludes with sweet citrus, dates, and a whiff of iron.

DILUTED to ~46%abv, or 1 tsp of water per 30mL whisky

Its nose holds on the walnuts and orange oil, while picking up creme de cassis. But it also gets meatier and finds a Hampden-esque funky note. The palate gets sweeter and oakier. Honey and marmalade up front, peppery mint leaf in the back. The finish nearly matches the palate, adding in ground white pepper.

WORDS WORDS WORDS

My read on a whisky's color does not work well with the current market. Dark whiskies that spent less than two decades in oak turn me off, because I see nothing in them but extraction. So this single cask's color didn't inspire me. But I should not have judged a whisky by its color, and I'm happy to say that this Glengoyne is neither oak juice nor a generic sherried thing. It has an excellent nose and a very good palate that wobbles a bit when diluted. So keep it neat!

Availability - Sold out
Pricing - less than €80 ten years ago
Rating - 86 (neat)