Glengoyne is a Highland distillery, although the Highland–Lowland fault line is literally about 20 metres from the still room, meaning the distillery’s warehouses are in the Lowlands yet the distilling takes place in the Highlands. I was recently invited to Glengoyne Distillery to learn more about the brand and to try my skills at the Malt Master Experience.
If you would like to read more about the whisky regions of Scotland, see my previous blog post on the topic.
History of Glengoyne Distillery
The distillery has been in operation since its founding in 1833. It was first known as Burnfoot Distillery. At some point the name got changed to Glen Guin, which was anglicised to Glengoyne, meaning the valley of the geese, in 1905. What we now know as Edrington was in charge of the distillery from 1965 until 2003, when they sold it to Ian MacLeod, an independent family-owned company.
Like many distilleries, at the time Glengoyne was mainly used for blends. In the early 1990s the distillery’s whisky was sold as the ‘unpeated malt’ that was the beginning of their single malt whisky sales. Ian MacLeod made the single malt whisky Glengoyne’s main focus, and by 2012, Glengoyne 15– and 18-year-old single malts were released.
It was they who also saw the potential of tapping into the huge tourist industry visiting Glasgow and the Loch Lomond area annually. Glengoyne Distillery is now a very popular tourist destination. You can get a direct bus from Glasgow every hour to right outside the distillery.
Environmentally friendly
The distillery has its own wetlands where they treat the excess liquid from distillation. Wetlands are great for keeping carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, being much more efficient than forests.
At Glengoyne, there are 12 pools, each with thick reed beds. These beds will slow down the flow of the liquid and remove any harmful compounds. Once the water has been purified, it rejoins the burn, which runs all the way to Loch Lomond. The wetlands help to cut down on both waste (about 25% of the distillery’s wastage) and energy consumption.
The wetlands are home to a wide array of plants, attracting birds, dragonflies and other wildlife. The distillery has also installed two beehives in the grounds to help the local plant and animal life.
Glengoyne has removed all plastic, metal and magnets from their packaging. Most of the materials used come from within Scotland, some even local to the distillery. The only exception being their corks and capsules, which are from Europe.
Glengoyne Malt Master Experience
The Malt Master Experience tour can be booked online and it includes a tour of the distillery followed by a great blending experience in their Sample Room. There were five different samples of Glengoyne Highland Single Malt taken directly from their warehouse. We first sampled each batch individually to help in deciding which ones to use for our own recipe.
It felt like being in chemistry class (although more fun!) as you slowly measure and combine your whiskies into a measuring tube before blending them together and bottling. Of course, there is a fair bit of sampling as you need to find the right balance through trial and error.
I recommend doing this experience with a friend and you can also judge each other’s final single malt bottling. I have to say, all five single malts available were of exceptional quality. You simply can’t fail, and you’ll go home with a tasty 200ml bottle of Glengoyne Single Malt.
The Malt Master Experience with the tour should take about 90 minutes, although we were there a fair bit longer.
Tip: Ask to sample the Glengoyne new make! It is one of the best I’ve tried and tastes a lot like strawberry jam.
Glengoyne White Oak
Each winter the local geese travel 3000 miles across the Atlantic to America. This journey has inspired the distillery to add an American Oak release to its core range. Glengoyne is better known for its sherry-matured single malts, so this was an unexpected, but delicious, addition.
I was recently gifted a bottle of their White Oak release. It is aged exclusively in first-fill bourbon and virgin oak casks from North America. These casks have been charred for less than a minute to allow their spirit character to shine through. It’s bottled at a much appreciated 48% ABV.
My tasting notes:
Nose: Apple & cinnamon tea, caramel, apple peel, stewed fruits, banana bread
Palate: Milk chocolate, salted caramel, toffee apple, becomes spicier with air, ginger, peppery
Finish: Grapefruit, malty, oak, dry coffee cake
Overall, it’s a lively single malt, which really comes alive after some time in the glass. The sweeter notes on the palate are balanced well with the spices and citrus. The banana bread aroma becomes stronger with air (I haven’t tried it with water). If you allow time for the oxygen to work its magic, this is a delicious whisky. So much so, I find myself reaching for more.
Fun fact 1: The circle on the label is a clock, a nod to the ‘unhurried’ very slow way of their whisky making.
Fun fact 2: The lines found on the gift boxes are actually goose feathers.
Have you been to Glengoyne Distillery? What do you think of their whiskies?
Disclaimer: The tour and Malt Master Experience was free of charge. Some of the links used are affiliate links. If you buy through the links, I may receive a commission for the sale. This has no effect on the price for you.
