Sunset; whisky time Hitch!
Glengoyne's NAS Cask Strength replaced the 10YO Cask Strength version. Now up to batch 3, how does it compare to the Aberlour and Glenfarclas cask strength sherry monsters of preceding weeks? Read on...The lack of colouring or chill filtration is clearly stated on the only place it matters; the label of the bottle! Off to a good start Glengoyne. Comprised of some young and some older whiskies from both first fill and refill sherry (Oloroso I believe) casks, bottled at 58.2%.Available in the summer of 2015 from Dan Murphy at $99AU, which, at current exchange rates is less than it costs in Scotland; pretty good value. Nick's have the 12 year old version for $199AU; this I have not tried.
Colour: Muscat. Nose: Oloroso sherry, damp straw, licorice, sultanas, rosehip, apricots and white pepper. A sip is instantly mouthfilling; silky, creamy mouthfeel. Oh, this is good! Fine Pedro Ximenez sherry, lashings of dark fruit, oak, dates. Coats the tongue, infiltrates every corner of the mouth before an extended spelunking expedition down the throat. Imagine the perfect christmas cake, fresh from the oven, moist, hot, yes, pleasantly hot. Only needs a drop of water as a catalyst to release a dark fruit flavour onslaught that lingers on and on and on.....exquisite toffee now, laced with macadamia nut...This is developing magnificently in the glass. At 58.2% ABV it's hot but in a comforting way. It envelopes the senses, warms to the bone. Two drams while I write and my face feels like I'm relaxing by a roaring fire, the radiated heat lulling me into contemplation. So satisfying, ah, serenity. This is what good whisky is about; it evokes memory; sensory and experiential. It warms the soul. It stimulates and challenges the senses. This is an excellent dram. Its youth manifests as a fresh flavour, er, not explosion, a reaction. It develops, as if in slo-mo, in the mouth, allowing one to experience every nuance of the experience. Glengoyne have used some good casks here. I've just poured my third (generous) dram and so, my friends, my written appreciation shall now end and I shall retreat to the porch to watch this evenings moon rise and contemplate it's magnificence, faithful hound by my side. That's the sort of dram this is. 89/100
William Crampton
Twas a good day. Goodnight Hitch.