Review | Glengoyne Mizunara Oak 16 Years Old

This new whisky is the third bottling in The Oak Masters’ Series from the Highland distillery of Glengoyne. This series explores different cask types for maturation outside of the distillery’s regular use of ex-sherry casks.

This 16 Years Old expression has seen 10-year-old spirit that has matured in ex-bouron and ex-Oloroso sherry casks then undergo a lengthy six-year secondary maturation in virgin Japanese mizunara oak butts. It joins the Glengoyne White Oak and White Oak 24 Years Old in the range.

Glengoyne was founded in 1833 by the Edmonstone family under the original name of Burnfoot. The distillery lies on The Highland Line – an imaginary line that separates the Highlands from the Lowland region. This runs diagonally from the River Clyde in the west to the River Tay in the east. This line runs through Glengoyne. The distillery sits on the Highland side to the north and the warehouses on the Lowland side to the south.

The distillery was renamed as Glengoyne in 1905. The name translates as ‘valley of the wild geese’ from the local Gaelic. It is currently owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, who took control in 2003. The annual production is around 1.2 million litres per year. The distillery is one of Scotland’s most traditional and eco-friendly. They operate very slow distillation times and engage in several local environmental schemes.

The Glengoyne Mizunara Oak is released at the natural cask strength of 53.4% ABV and is both non-chill filtered and of natural colour. There are just 3,195 bottles in the initial batch. It is available in selected specialist whisky retailers in selected world markets, plus via www.glengoyne.com and the visitor centre shop at the distillery. Each bottle will cost £300.

---

Our Tasting Notes

The colour is bright coppery gold and the nose is highly fragrant. There are initial nutty and woody aromas with a hint of floral. Sandalwood and sweet ginger combine with bitter chocolate and toasted walnut, before some sweet hazelnut praline begins to show. Hints of old cigar box and a porcini-like umami aroma sit in the background and are accentuated by a further hint of pink bubble gum. A faint touch of menthol adds more depth.

On the palate this whisky is full on, luscious and rich. There is a lot of bitter dark chocolate to begin, which is supported by some sweetened almond paste and hazelnut praline. Then comes a confected fruitiness in the form of fairground toffee apple and caramelised pear with a hint of ripe pineapple and juicy white peach.

The oak really then begins to build in the second half of the palate. Think of waxy furniture polish with some old cigar box again, dried tobacco leaf and some sandalwood. Hints of toasted coconut, menthol and eucalyptus oil sit underneath. A peppery warmth builds also, as do the oaky tannins.

The finish is long and increasingly dry and woody. Peppery spice and a freshly baked gingerbread characteristic dominate, especially once the sweet and fruity elements dissipate. This allows the oak tannins and bitter dark chocolate to the fore, which drag out the length of finish.

---

What’s The Verdict?

This third bottling in The Masters’ Oak Series is delicious and showcases what Japanese mizunara oak casks can contribute with extended maturation. The majority of such releases feature a much shorter finishing period, so it was great to experience something different. It was also great to taste this whisky alongside its two siblings in the series, which offer a different perspective to the Glengoyne spirit. An excellent and luxurious whisky that features rare cask maturation, which feels like a real treat.