Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Glengoyne 1996 (20 year old) 60.4%
Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: EDI0191/ HL12825
Dist: Apr 1996 Btl: 2016/ Tasted: Nov 2016
20 years old and over 60% abv? Now that’s impressive! And I have to say, so is the nose. It shows plenty of creamy oak and barley with banana, apricot and a a not too intrusive balsamic note. Intense and tight with dried grass, gooseberry, honey, green apple and cinnamon.
The palate is intense but it doesn’t seem like it’s over 60%. Barley, dried grass, apricot and vanilla oak open the proceedings an there’s not an off note or industrial note anywhere to be seen! Slightly spicy middle with the finish being a little masked but tongue tingling with returning vanilla oak.
Water softens the nose and emphaiosies the tight grained oak and barley. Still quite fruity (not something you ofter say about American oak aged ‘goyne) with a light ferny herbaceousness. The palate is a little more honeyed and now showing toasted cereal and bitter coffee. Very long and a little drying, but pretty impressive.
Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Glengoyne 1995 (21 year old) 55.9%
Refill Bourbon Barrel/ Code: EDI0219/ HL13308
Dist: Jun 1995 Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017
The aromas are quite dense and straw-like with barley, white fruit, honeysuckle and malt. Pleasantly aromatic and lacking the usual ‘hardness’. With time a touch of summer fruit and creamy/ buttery oak appears.
The palate is dense, rich and honeyed with star, apricot and barley. Subtle but creamy oak comes through on the middle and the finish is quite mineral with flecks of sweet barley and honeysuckle nuances. Light wood smoke on the after-taste. For an American oak aged ‘goyne, it’s pretty impressive!
With water the nose becomes more citrus focused, fresher and mineral. The palate shows more of the creamy oak and less of the citrus. It’s rounder now but less complex, so I wouldn’t bother diluting it.
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 