Whisky Review: Glengoyne 15-Year Single Malt Scotch

Introduction

We’re diving into something new (at least for us) today: Glengoyne 15-Year Single Malt Scotch. This Highland Scotch has been on our radar, and while we weren’t sure if we’d tried it before, the name just screams classic Scotch, so we were excited to finally sit down with it.

Glengoyne 15 is, of course, a single malt made from 100% malted barley, and it clocks in at 43% ABV (86 proof). The aging process is a mix of casks: 20% first-fill bourbon casks, 25% first-fill sherry casks, and 55% refill casks—a combination that had us curious to see what kind of depth and character it would bring to the glass.

This review is taken from our episode "How to Train Your Dragon (2010) / Glengoyne 15 Year Scotch." Click the link to listen to this review in audio format.

Nose

Brad:
This is really beautiful on the nose. It reminds me of a nice fall apple cider, nutmeg, and there’s an almond nuttiness to it. It’s got that nice barley note on the nose. I’m absolutely just in heaven with this.
Score: 8.5/10

Bob:
I’m not really picking up a ton of complexity here, but it has a brightness to it that’s reminiscent of, for me, a little bit more of a Speyside kind of nose. It doesn’t remind me of what we typically get on our favorite Highland Scotch brand, which is Glenmorangie. I’m not picking up much spice here. There’s quite a bit of citrus, a little bit of melon. It operates in that sort of lighter, brighter category. I’m interested to see where it goes on the palate, but just as a baseline, I’m going to give it a 7.5/10.

Taste

Brad:
I think the palate here has apple peel, honey, there’s a little bit of a banana fruity vibe going on. It’s got white grape, and for me, the spiciness of the nutmeg on the nose turns into like a cinnamon stick on the palate. I really like this whisky, Bob. It has all the things I want out of a Scotch.
Score: 9/10

Bob:
I like this fine, you know what I mean? I’m just not blown away by this one. It’s pretty thin on the mouthfeel. There’s really hardly any ethanol kick to this, and it is a lower ABV, so that’s to be expected. There’s a honey sweetness up front that kind of blossoms into a really nice rounded malt flavor, but there’s not much beyond that. I’m not picking up a ton of fruit here. You had said apple, but I’m not really getting that. I think this is kind of like a standard Scotch whisky. I don’t even know if you set this in front of me and were like, ‘How many years old do you think it is?’ I don’t think I’d be able to pinpoint anything. It’s just really light. It kind of reminds me of how Canadian whisky uses refill barrels, and you just never can extract quite as much as you can with a new charred oak barrel. It’s like that, but in Scotch form. It’s fine.
Score: 7/10

Finish

Brad:
The finish, for me, turned back into nutmeg. The spiciness reminded me of Cheerios. The fruitiness turned a little dark, got a little bit of a plum flavor, and the honey felt fruity—almost like a honeyed apricot type of feel. I’m still sitting with the finish here, just really enjoying it.
Score: 9/10

Bob:
I think it’s a really pleasant drinking experience. I just can’t really pinpoint specific things in the notes here. It’s like, ‘fruit,’ and then I start asking myself, ‘what fruit is it?’ and I don’t know, maybe like the canned fruit cocktail they used to give you with school lunch. It’s in there somewhere. It’s nice, but there’s nothing really distinct about it. The finish is pleasant and long-lasting, and I think it’s what you would come to expect from a standard lighter Scotch.
Score: 7.5/10

Balance

Brad:
Balance-wise, this has all sorts of flavors that I really enjoy on a Highland that have a richness and a depth that drew me in.
Score: 9.5/10

Bob:
It is a well-balanced whisky that just did not do it for me. So, I’m trying to decide exactly where you set the numerical score for that. I think I’ll just give it a 7.5/10. I’m sure this is going to be appealing to some people, clearly to you, Brad. But for me, I want a little more distinctiveness here. This just kind of feels like a canned fruit cocktail where you get some notes of specific fruits, but it’s mostly just simple syrup they’ve been floating in for a couple months. So, it diminishes any distinct character.

Value

Brad:
This is kind of in a weird place. It costs 93 pounds in the UK, which is about 125 dollars, but I’m seeing it at a variety of distributors for anywhere from like 88 to 120 dollars. At 100 bucks, this fits the profile of a $100 Highland whisky that’s been aged for 15 years.
Score: 8/10

Bob:
Let’s set it at like $100 or $105. At 100 bucks, I don’t think this is a bad value. It’s a 15-year Scotch—of course, it’s going to be around triple digits. Would I still pick a Quinta Ruban 14 over this 15-year? Yeah, any day of the week. There’s a lot more depth and complexity of flavor, especially because of the kinds of barrels they’re using to age it. I’m going to give this a 6/10 on value.

Final Scores

Brad:
I’m at a 44/50. I really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t call it one of my top Scotches of all time, but it’s in that 40-plus range. That is an absolutely easy recommendation.

Bob:
I’m at a 35.5/50. It’s pretty good. I would give this a tentative thumbs up. It’s not a bad whisky—I find it very pleasant. I don’t know that I would run out and spring triple digits for it just because there’s not enough distinct character for me. But if somebody offered me a pour of this, this is a delightful little whisky.

Combined Average:
We’re landing at a combined average of 39.75/50, just shy of that 40 mark, thanks largely (actually entirely) to Bob’s score.

Conclusion

With a combined average of 39.75/50, Glengoyne 15-Year Single Malt Scotch lands just below the “great” threshold on our scale. For context, a 35/50 is where we typically recommend trying a pour at a bar or considering a purchase, 40/50 is considered great, and 45/50 is excellent. For Brad, this was an easy two-thumbs-up whisky. For Bob, it was a pleasant but not particularly distinctive pour. If you’re curious and in the mood for a lighter, fruitier Highland Scotch, this might be worth the splurge—especially if you can find it toward the lower end of the price range.