For the first time in its 191-year history, a Scottish Highland distillery has created a new whisky range aged in American oak casks.
Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Whisky has launched a new White Oak range celebrating American oak maturation.
Known for having the slowest distilled malts in Scotland, the whisky maker has also created a reputation for itself using sherry casks in its maturation process, but has now broke tradition by releasing two new expressions, which include a rare bottle that will be gone once sold out.
The new expressions being released by the Dumgoyne-based distillery are a Glengoyne White Oak that joins their core expression range, and a Glengoyne White Oak 24-year-old, an extremely rare, limited release going for more than £400 a bottle.
The Glengoyne White Oak will join the core range. (Image: Glengoyne)
Bosses say the release marks a bold and exciting new chapter for Glengoyne, as they continue to expand their taste profile from the predominant sherry style the whisky has become synonymous with.
Gordon Dundas, Brand Advocacy Director, said: “Releasing two exceptional Glengoyne whiskies, fully matured exclusively in American White Oak, including a remarkable limited 24-year-old, marks a significant first for Glengoyne.
"These whiskies showcase our slow distillation process producing our signature fruity house style and our commitment to using the finest casks. We're thrilled for both long-time Glengoyne lovers and new enthusiasts to experience these pioneering drams."
The White Oak range is matured in American first-fill bourbon and virgin oak casks sourced from North America, as a nod to the summer home of the geese that grace Glengoyne’s glen every winter.
READ MORE:
- Famous distiller replaces flagship product with new whisky
- Loch Lomond Whiskies launches new 50-year-old single malt
- New whisky distillery to revive dwindling Scottish community
Master Blenders at Glengoyne say the American Oak delivers a lighter flavour and colour to the whisky during its maturation process.
The first of the two releases, the Glengoyne White Oak has already been awarded two gold medals, from the International Spirits Competition 2024 and the San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2024.
Going for a RRP of £55 the new malt aims to present ‘a vibrant oak, bright citrus, sponge cake, crisp red apple, ginger spice, and a hint of violet. The palate reveals a soft and playful taste of crème brulee, fruit gum sweets, candied lemon, jam tarts, and tinned pineapple. To finish, the expression has lots of toasted oak laced with caramel’.
With the 24-year-old being released as a limited edition, Glengoyne say it has patiently matured in American oak and virgin oak casks, imparting a rich depth of flavour and a golden hue to this exquisite dram.
The 24-year-old is on sale now for a RRP £430. (Image: Glengoyne)
On the nose, Glengoyne White Oak 24-Year-Old is rich with notes of vanilla, toasted oak, lemon curd, honey, plum jam, desiccated coconut, spiced apple pastry dusted with icing sugar and a zest of lime. The palate offers a gently balanced depth with bright lemon and key lime pie, honeycomb, and gently tropical notes, complemented by soft oak, warming the palate with hints of star anise, chocolate and vanilla. The finish is long and well-aged with toffee apple, delicate citrus and lingering oak.
It is going for an RRP of £430 and is available to purchase on their website now.
Master Blender at Glengoyne John Glass said the new expressions is a showcase of the distillery’s dedication to creating new flavours.
He said: “Our dedication to the best quality wood imparts itself in every expression from Glengoyne, and the White Oak range is a celebration of exactly that. I love Glengoyne in bourbon wood; the distillery character balances wonderfully with the vanilla, coconut and spice from the casks; so have been eager to create expressions that showcase this style."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here