Hey, didn’t we have a Glengoyne 1998 by Malts of Scotland yesterday? Yep, but that was the cask next to this one (and next to the #1130 and #1133 Glengoyne casks released in 2009).
Glengoyne 11 yo 1998 (55,2%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask 1132, 272 btl.)
Glengoyne 11 yo 1998 (55,2%, Malts of Scotland 2010, cask 1132, 272 btl.)Nose: totally different from the #1131 cask. Much more dirty, with notes of mushrooms and beef stock. Hints of soy sauce and moss. I’m afraid this isn’t free from sulphur. I know a lot of people like this kind of profile, and it seems to be filtered out after some breathing, so let’s move on. There are hints of walnuts but the red fruits are much more subdued here, although there are hints of candied fruit and water helps to bring out fragrant raspberry.
Mouth: interesting and very much in line with the old Macallan 18’s. No sulphur, just beautiful chocolate, coffee, figs and dried orange skin. Raisins. A touch of menthol. Not as dry as its sister. Cloves and cinnamon. It also shows hints of dusty oak with light whiffs of smoke.
Finish: long, drier now, and very chocolaty. Some spicy notes.
At the beginning of my tasting, I smelled both whiskies side-by-side and because of the sulphury notes, I never thought this #1132 cask would come close to #1131. But once you’ve tasted them, and once you add water, it becomes clear that the palate of this cask is really interesting and makes you forget about the nose. In the end they both have their qualities. Same price: around € 60.
Score: 86/100