Scotch Whisky Reviews #215: Glengoyne Balbaína

Distillery: Glengoyne

Region: Highland

ABV: 43%

Age: NAS.

Cask Type: First-fill European oak sherry casks

Color: 1.1, Burnished.

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Nose (according to the wife): It’s quite fruity with some tropical fruit notes as well as some orchard fruits. There’s pineapple and lychee up front and center. It’s followed by a bit of green grapes and yuzu.

Palate: Very bright and zesty. There’s a lot of that yuzu coming through here with a bit of tartness. A warm note of malt barley comes through with a hint of cream and a hint of ethanol heat.

Finish: Medium in length with that yuzu and cream note continuing.

Conclusion: Just over a year ago, the wife and I visited Glengoyne distillery and fell in love with how beautiful it was. The whisky being pretty good also helped quite a bit. This travel exclusive bottling from Glengoyne is a little different than what we had there. Staying true to their sherry cask roots, it’s matured in first-fill European oak sherry casks but for some reason or another, it doesn’t carry the same sherry influence. While it has lots of fruits in the nose, there’s a lot of malt and cream in the rest of the whisky with a really lovely note of yuzu. All in all, it’s fairly good though lacking in the sherry department. Would I buy a bottle? I’d consider it.

Final Score: 78.

Scotch Whiskey Review #315, Highland Review #44, Whisky Network Review #320

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.