We have looked at a number of Glengoyne’s recently and now its time for the one of the big guns in the range. The 25 Year Old is about as different to the 10 Year Old as you can get. Like I said in that previous review by the time the whisky has been maturing for 25 year olds the oak casks have come to dominant the flavour profile. While not a bad thing it is for sure a thing which needs to be considered before making a purchasing decision. Do not go into buying *very* expensive well aged whisky and expect it to taste linearly in line with the  usual supermarket fodder you may or may not buy.

One thing I see all too often is people not understanding what they are experiencing when they get the chance of say a 30 or even 40 year old Islay whisky. Bottles of these kind of whiskies are in the thousands but drams are possible to buy in bars but my experiences are all from the actual distilleries themselves. These are rare and special experiences and all too often people are disappointed and confused before letting the group know its “not Ardbeg” or “not Laphroaig” just because its not full of the youth and vitality of a ten year old core range bottle. Whisky and indeed peated whisky especially are like us. Not as athletic or spritely as we were 30 years ago.

The Dram

The Glengoyne 25 year old has been out for a number of years now. It was the one dram I had been wanting to try for a while. There is something about the image from the distillery shown in the featured picture on this article which I just find so alluring. Bottled at 48% ABV with a natural colour and no chill filtering it is really something very special. The current price is £240 a bottle which is pretty steep and a lot more than the 21 year old which can be picked up for under £100 regularly on Amazon. Both are aged exclusively in ex-sherry casks but the 21 year is not as strong at 43% ABV.

Tasting Notes

Colour – bright orange

Nose – strong orange give a burst of fruit but there is a dark and aged quality of old leather.

Palate – More treacle sweetness of dark brown sugar. The texture is fantastic and really rich. For sure there is the ex-sherry notes of stewed alcohol fruits and bitter oranges but also the oak flavours are coming through strongly as well of cinnamon and tannins.

Finish – The finish is long and lingering so a little goes an awful long way. liquorice sweets linger on what is a very drying finish

Final Thoughts

A great special occasion whisky which doesn’t disappoint on the flavours. I have some concerns on the price though which is an awful lot more than the 21 year old. However, as we will see the 30 year old is basically three times the price so perhaps its a bargain after all.

It’s not a bargain. FYI £3 per ml is never a bargain