Review #505 - Glengoyne 12 Year
Glengoyne is one of the Southernmost distilleries in the Highlands - so far south, in fact, that it actually straddles the border between the Highlands and Lowlands, with the distillery on the Highland side, and their nearby warehouses on the Lowland side. Several decades ago, the distillery was actually classified as a Lowland single malt producer.
Glengoyne uses unpeated malted barley for their production; this is generally paired with ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks, with an emphasis on sherry maturation. For this 12 Year entry-level single malt, they use that combination of ex-bourbon and ex-sherry casks; paired with their malt, it looks like this might be a fruity whisky.
After 12 years of aging, this whisky is bottled at 43% ABV, and while not cheap, the price is still relatively reasonable.
Glengoyne 12 Year
Scotland/Highland - Single Malt
Price: USD 60 (2025)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 43% ABV
Cask Makeup: Ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, and refill casks
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 3 times over 5 months; bottles at 100%, 70% (blind tasting), and 30% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Malt and honey, some honeycomb, and light fruits: yellow apple, bananas, even a bit of peach. It leans sweet, with some vanilla and icing sugar; there is a little bit of white pepper in the background. With time, the malt can take on a sour quality; it's a relatively mild nose.
Palate: A medium-thin mouthfeel - a little bit prickly, both from dry, peppery oak, and some sharper baking spices like cinnamon. Some interesting light fruits pop up - starfruit, tart nectarine, a bit of sweet pear and lemon. Vanilla and brown sugar add the baking side, and with time, tinned fruits appear.
Finish: Heavy on the malty flavors again, as well as fruit and baking notes. Brown sugar, nutmeg, cardamom, and pastry dough combine with tart yellow apple. Honey arrives again in the aftertaste, and it's a medium-short finish.
Final Note: This is a solid, if a bit plain, entry level malt from Glengoyne. There's a good balance of malty distillate and mellow cask influence; the profile leaned heavily into those lighter fruits and sweet baking notes. Because of the lower strength, the overall intensity of the flavors is a bit lower, though; on a related note, the mouthfeel is thinner, and the finish doesn't last too long.
Value is okay; this fits in nicely in the 12 year single malt market in terms of price, but some of the competition offers stronger or more interesting flavors. If the unpeated, light fruit profile is your preferred style, however, this could be a good pickup.
Our Average Rating: 5.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 5.62
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Glengoyne reviews:
