Christmas Countdown 2020 #22: The First Editions Glengoyne 18 Year (1996)

Distillery: Glengoyne

Bottler: First Editions

Region: Highland.

Age: 18 Year. Distilled in 1996. Bottled in 2014.

ABV: 50.7% Cask Strength

Cask Type: Bourbon Casks

Color: 0.1, White Wine. Natural Color and Un-Chill Filtered.

This is the 22nd installment of this years’ Christmas Countdown. You can see the entire 2020 series here or the 2019 edition here.

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Nose: Nothing but burn. Literally. The only thing I got out of this was a nice clearing of my sinuses. Even after water, there isn’t much.

Palate: Near undrinkable at full strength. It’s hot and very ethanol-y. With some water, you get waxy lemon and a bit of chocolate malt.

Finish: Medium in length. A little more of that waxy lemon. A bit of heat.

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Conclusion: When I visited the Glengoyne distillery last, the guide made it a point to talk about how they only used sherry casks for aging, despite the added costs associated with it. Naturally, I was curious how Glengoyne spirit would fare aged in ex-bourbon casks and this independent bottling seemed to promise a glimpse into that. If this one sample is a representative of how Glengoyne spirit does with ex-bourbon casks (it probably and hopefully isn’t), I would hope they never get tempted to use them regularly. Despite having been aged for 18 years, it barely has taken on any color (wondering if a very tired cask was used). Without any added water, this nearly undrinkable despite not being that strong from an ABV perspective. Once water is added, it shows off an almost Clynelish-esque waxiness but only in a far more boring way. Not for me, not in the slightest.

Final Score: 72.