Glengoyne Distillery

Where:

Dumgoyne, Killearn, Glasgow G63 9LB, Scotland
https://www.glengoyne.com/

How to get there?

There are several option available:
- direct bus line from Glasgow: X10 from Buchanan Bus Station.
- by car
- organised day tours (such as Rabbies Tour )


Visited: 2 November 2019
Tour price: 14,5 £ (Wee tasting tour)

Basic information

Founded: 1833
Region: Highland
Style: unpeated single malt whisky
No. of stills: 1 wash still, 2 spirit stills
Owner: Ian Macleod Distillers Ltd.

Distillery tour

There are several tours available. The basic tour covers the distillery visit and a complimentary dram of 12 YO single malt whisky. I did the Wee tasting tour which also includes another dram: 18 YO single malt whisky. The actual distillery presentation is identical in both tours. I strongly recommend the Wee tastin tour since the price difference between these two is only 3 £ and 18 YO is quite expensice delicacy. Wee tasting tour also gives you a discount voucher to the distillery shop.

The other tours can be checked from the distillery's website.

The tour starts with the complementary tasting and short video about the distillery. After that the guide tours people throughout the distillery starting from the ingredients and the malting process ending to the maturation.

During the tour you can smell the malts, wort and get very close to the stills. Also maturation and different type of casks are presented very well.

A display of aging in different type of casks

The old barley kiln is turned into a warehouse and a display of different casks. Also some of the oldests whiskies are matured here (e.g. 50 YO into making).

The warehose number 1

Logically the tour ends into the distillery shop. That point the 18 YO single malt is also tasted.

Tasting

12 YO single malt: matured in ex-bourbon cask and sherry casks. Easy going, hints of vanilla and citrus, slight intensity and richness.
18 YO single malt: matured in first-fill sherry casks. Rich and luxurous mouthfeel, hints of spicy vanilla and fruits.

Brief history

Licence to distil was acquired in 1833. Before that, there was an illegal distillery at the site starting from 1820. A present name was introduced in 1907. Before that the distillery was called Glenguin of Burnfoot. Present form of the distillery dates from 1966 when the distillery was re-built due to high demand of whisky.
The distillery is the most southern Highland distillery.

Waterfall and a wee loch behing the distillery.

 In 1899 the current distillery manager drowned in that very loch - after too many drams. Some say that his ghost still haunts the ground.