Ask a Glengoyne 18 drinker what comes closest to their bottle for less, and the answer is sitting in the same warehouse back at the distillery. Glengoyne 15, $162, gives them about 90% of what the 18 does. Same house, three fewer years, and most of the character carries straight over.
Glengoyne 18 arrived when the core range was reworked, taking over from the old 17 year old, built on what the distillers call a generous share of first-fill sherry casks. Pour it on a cool evening and the nose opens on milk chocolate, vanilla and melon, grapefruit behind them, dry sherry and fruitcake building as the glass sits. The palate is rich and rounded: cinnamon and ginger, almonds, orange marmalade, a sweeter sherry, caramel. The finish runs long on gentle spice and easy-going oak. At $11.62 a standard drink, a pour at home lands in the middle of this group.
It's $276 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $276, and across what we've seen it has run from $220 to $276, so the week's price is right at the familiar mark.
1/Eighteen years, all sherry cask, and rarely knocked down: Glengoyne 18 is $220 for My Dan Murphy's members this week. Non-members still see $276 on the shelf, where it's sat all along.
2/The reason to look isn't the offer, it's the standing. Glengoyne 18's CE 360° jury of ten reads fair value at about $251, band floor $237. At $220 the members' price is roughly thirty dollars under fair, and below the band — unusual for a bottle that normally trades close to consensus.
3/Rich, dried-fruit, sit-down-after-dinner Highland malt. $220 is a real door price for an aged sherried eighteen as of this morning. A sensible one-bottle splurge, or would you rather two younger drams for the money? Tell me your state's ticket.
| slot | 08-13 | 08-20 | 08-27 | 09-03 | 09-10 | 09-17 | 09-24 | 10-01 | 10-08 | 10-15 | 10-22 | 10-29 | 11-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list / member | 275.99 observed | 275.99 m 220.00 observed | 275.99 m 220.00 observed | 275.99 m 220.00 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed | 275.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 275.99 | 275.99 | 0.00 | 275.99 | 275.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 275.99 | 100 |
| member | 263.07 | 275.99 | 24.55 | 220.00 | 275.99 | 55.99 | 9.3% | 6.81 | 275.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 275.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 276.0 – 276.0 |
The Glendronach 12, $110 at Dan Murphy's this week, and it usually sells around $119. After a parade of Glendronachs over the years, this is the 12 that won me over: the sherry held back just enough to let the spirit speak. My favourite of them. More in this week's piece.
Hand The Glendronach 12 to drinkers of its nearest bottles and they'd pay $90 to $248 for it, each from what their own bottle costs. The closest, a Glenfarclas 15 drinker, lands at $125, 68% of their own. It's $110 this week. More in this week's piece. Where would you sit?
The Glendronach 12 is $110 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $119, so a few dollars under its regular mark as you pour one. Where it sits against the neighbours is in this week's piece.
Glenfiddich 18 opens on oak and fresh apple wound through barley, then settles into fruit cake and Christmas pudding warmed with cinnamon, smooth and easy, a pour that suits anyone easing into a long evening. This week it's $175 at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
Fond of Glenfiddich 18? A Glenfiddich 18 drinker gets about 95% of what that bottle gives from Glengoyne 15, at 74% of the price, and it's $130 for members this week. Sherry, vanilla, a little ginger. Pour one and see. More in this week's piece on Glenfiddich 18.
Glenfiddich 18 opens on oak and fresh apple, then a smooth palate of fruit cake and cinnamon. Hand it to an Edradour 10 drinker and they'd pay 71% of what their own bottle costs, marking it down for the extra years. More on Glenfiddich 18 in this week's piece.
I noticed the apple and toffee on the Glenfiddich 18 first, then oak, barley and a warm cinnamon spice through the finish. At $175 it works out to $7.92 a pour at home, a touch over a $13 pint at the pub. More on it in this week's piece.
The Glenfiddich 18 is $175 at Dan Murphy's this week, which is right where it usually sells, so I'd call it a steady price rather than a moment to pounce. I've pulled the whole picture together in this week's piece, if you want the neighbours and the pours set out beside it.
Glengoyne 15 leans sherry: vanilla, ginger and toffee on the nose, a note of worn leather. The palate turns oily, raisins and hazelnuts over oak, then a spicy finish dusted with cocoa. $130 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. Pour one and see. More in this week's piece.
Where does Glengoyne 15 land with its neighbours? An Edradour 10 drinker would pay 85% of what their own bottle costs for it, docking it for the extra years. One for the sherried-malt drinker. Pour the two side by side — more in this week's piece.
Glengoyne 15 is $130 this week at Dan Murphy's, about 24 standard drinks in the bottle, so a pour at home runs $5.47 a drink, 215th of 310 that way. A pint at the pub sits near $6.28 a standard drink. Pour one and see where it lands for you. More in this week's piece.
Glencadam 15 and Glenfiddich 15 both sit at $140 a bottle, so Glencadam 15 costs $0 more, yet at 46% against 40% it's the cheaper drink: $5.51 a standard drink against $6.34. Climb in age and strength and the pour climbs too — Glengoyne 15 at $6.82, Glenfiddich 18 at $8.14, the first-fill sherry and marmalade of Glengoyne 18 at $11.62. A pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink, so the honeyed, floral Glencadam pours for less than that while the others pour for more. Want depth, want strength for the money, want the long sherried finish? There's a yes here for each of you.
Glengoyne 21, $361 at Dan Murphy's: a creamy malt foundation, then honey, cookie dough and soft citrus-and-apple, with dry vanilla and cinnamon running through. Clean, polished, easy to keep pouring. More on it in this week's piece.
Fond of the Glengoyne 21? The Glengoyne 18 gives a Glengoyne 21 drinker about 96% of what the 21 does, for 76% of its price, at $276. Milk chocolate, vanilla and sweeter sherry, with a long, easy finish. Pour one if the 21 has your ear. The rest is in this week's piece.
Ever wonder what Glengoyne 21 is worth to the drinkers sitting nearest it? Start each of them at what they pay for their own bottle, and the closest, a Glenfarclas 25 drinker, lands at 82% of theirs. There's more on where it all sits in this week's piece.
A creamy maltiness runs through the Glengoynes, young or old. The 21 sits at $361 for about 24 standard drinks, so a pour at home comes to $15.20. Where that leaves each kind of drinker is in this week's piece on Glengoyne 21.
Glengoyne 21 is $361 at Dan Murphy's this week, right where it usually sells, around $361. No surprises either way. That's about $15.20 a pour at home, across the 24 or so in the bottle. More on the Glengoyne 21 in this week's piece. What would you pour it for?
I keep coming back to the Glenfiddich 18 when someone asks me what sits near Glengoyne 21: at $180 it gives a Glengoyne 21 drinker about 91% of what they love, for 50% of the price. Oak, fresh apple, barley, a warming cinnamon. More on Glengoyne 21 in this week's piece.
I keep looking at the price on this one. Glengoyne 15 is $162, about 45% of what Glengoyne 21 costs, and for a Glengoyne 21 drinker it does about 86% of what the 21 does. Sherry, vanilla and ginger. More on Glengoyne 21 in this week's piece.
Like Glengoyne 18? The GlenDronach 15 Revival gives a Glengoyne 18 drinker about 91% of it, for 64% of the price. $176 the bottle. Ripe cherries, walnuts, dark chocolate. More on the Glengoyne 18 in this week's piece.
Milk chocolate and vanilla on the nose, orange marmalade and cinnamon on the palate, spices lingering in the finish: that's Glengoyne 18. Hand it to a Glenfarclas 25 drinker and they'd pay 77% of their own bottle, docking it for the younger age. More in this week's piece.
I did the sums on the Glengoyne 18 this week: $276 a bottle, about 24 standard drinks in it, which lands a pour at home at $11.62. Plenty of whisky hiding behind that number. I've put it beside its neighbours in this week's piece if you want to see where it sits.
Glengoyne 18 is $276 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $276, and we've seen it as low as $220. About $11.62 a pour at home, for the night you want rich sherry and easy oak with no rush. More on who it suits in this week's piece.
I noticed the Glengoyne 15 again this week. For a Glengoyne 18 drinker it gives about 90% of what the 18 does — the sherry, the vanilla, a lively ginger — at 59% of its price, so $162. The 18 itself gets its own turn in this week's piece.
Glenfiddich 18 opens on oak and fresh apple woven through barley, then turns to sweet fruit cake and Christmas pudding warmed with cinnamon, extraordinarily smooth. $180 at Dan Murphy's, one for the drinker who wants complexity without fuss. More in this week's piece.
If Glenfiddich 18 is your pour, Glengoyne 15 at $162 will suit you: sherried vanilla, ginger and a spicy, cocoa finish, giving a Glenfiddich 18 drinker about 95% of what they're after for 90% of the price. More on Glenfiddich 18 in this week's piece.
Hand an Aberlour 14 drinker the Glenfiddich 18 and they'd pay about 82% of what their own bottle costs, marked down a touch for the extra years. Who's it for? Anyone content near where they already sit. More on the Glenfiddich 18 in this week's piece — worth a look?
$8.14 — that's one pour of Glenfiddich 18 at home. The bottle runs $180, with about 22 standard drinks in it. Slippers not included. The full piece is up this week: where would you pour yours?
Glenfiddich 18 is $180 at Dan Murphy's this week, in step with where it usually sells, around $175. We've seen it between $170 and $180, so $180 sits near the top of a narrow band. A steady week for a steady bottle. More on the Glenfiddich 18 in this week's piece.
Honey and old sherry-soaked oak on the nose, a little vanilla pod. The palate turns to sherry spice, stewed fruit, a wisp of tobacco and faint chocolate. Even at the lower ABV, I can taste the age. The Glenfarclas 25 is $440 this week. More in this week's piece.
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glengoyne 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $360.99 | $266.35 | +94.64 |
| 2 | The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival Whisky 700mL | $175.99 | $253.55 | -77.56 |
| 3 | Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $174.90 | $250.55 | -75.65 |
| 4 | Glengoyne 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $161.99 | $250.31 | -88.32 |
| 5 | The Glendronach 12YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $118.99 | $237.12 | -118.13 |
| 6 | Edradour 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $111.99 | $210.19 | -98.20 |
| 7 | Glencadam 15YO Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $150.00 | $206.14 | -56.14 |
| 8 | Tamdhu 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $201.99 | $199.02 | +2.97 |
| 9 | Glenfiddich 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $139.99 | $197.98 | -57.99 |
| 10 | Glenfarclas 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $129.99 | $196.47 | -66.48 |