If Glengoyne 15 is your bottle, the first thing I'd want to know is whether there's something close to it for less. There is, and it comes from the same still. Glengoyne 12, at $109, gives a Glengoyne 15 drinker about 93% of what their own bottle does. Same house, a little less across the counter — that's the whole point of this piece, so let me show my working.
Start with the bottle in hand. Glengoyne reworked its core range a few years back, and the 15 arrived as part of that, matured in sherry casks. The nose is vanilla, ginger and toffee, with a note of old leather and some sweet fruit behind it. The palate runs a touch oily, with lively spice, raisins, hazelnuts and oak. The finish is medium and stays spicy to the end, with cocoa powder. It's a warm, sherried dram that doesn't ask much of you.
This week it's $130 for members at Dan Murphy's. Costed as a pour at home, that's about $5.47 a standard drink, and there are roughly 24 standard drinks in the bottle — a little under the $6.28 a standard drink of a $13 pint at the pub.
1/If Glenfiddich 12 Sherry Cask Finish is your bottle, here's one for every other night: Glengoyne 12, $89 for members at Dan Murphy's. It gives a Glenfiddich 12 drinker about 98% of what that bottle gives, for 65% of the price. Worth a look?
2/Glengoyne 12, $89 for members. Twelve years, cask strength, no chill-filtering. That clean Glengoyne maltiness runs right through it. Add a splash of water and it opens up, fragrant and fruity, cherry and apple, a touch of anise and almond underneath. Unhurried, easy to sit with.
3/You give up little with it, since it pours 98% of what the Glenfiddich 12 Sherry Cask Finish, $137, gives: sherry warmth, orange marmalade, green apples. That one stays the favourite for its fans. The Glengoyne 12 is the one for every other night. Which drinker are you this week?
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.
Glenfarclas 25 opens with honey and mellowed zesty fruit, then sherry spice, stewed fruit and a wisp of tobacco, the age showing through quietly the way old things do. $370 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. One for the unhurried sipper; more in this week's piece.
Tamdhu 15 gives a Glenfarclas 25 drinker 73% of what the Glenfarclas 25 does, for 55% of the price, at $202. Molasses, orange peel on the nose, sherry and Turkish Delight on the palate, cloves and dark chocolate on a long finish. More on Glenfarclas 25 in this week's piece.
Hand a Glenfarclas 15 drinker a dram of Glenfarclas 25 and they'd put down 54% of what their own bottle costs them. The nearest drinkers all land higher. I lay it out in this week's piece. Where would you sit?
Glenfarclas 25 is $370. About 24 pours in the bottle, so $15.58 a standard drink at home. That puts it 294th of 310 at Dan Murphy's by the pour. An old, sherried, honeyed thing. More on it in this week's piece.
Like Glenfarclas 25? A Glenfarclas 15 gives a Glenfarclas 25 drinker about 74% of what the 25 does, for 50% of the price, at $185. Dried fruits and toffee on the nose, then dark fruit, Christmas cake and roast oak. Pour one and see — more in this week's piece.
Both lean on honey and a bit of age. Glengoyne 21 gives a Glenfarclas 25 drinker about 93% of what the Glenfarclas 25 does, for 98% of its price. Its own price this week: $361. More on Glenfarclas 25 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.
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.
Deanston 12 opens with orange marmalade and salted caramel, honeyed shortbread on the nose, milk chocolate and a little peppery oak to close. Soft all the way. $97 for members at Dan's this week. Pour one and see where it settles. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Dalwhinnie 15 is made for you. It hands a Deanston 12 drinker about 95% of what you already love, for 98% of the price, at $95. Pour it slow: caramelised fruits, a touch of cream, a light note of fennel. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
I lined up the bottles nearest Deanston 12 and asked their drinkers what they'd pay for it. The answers ran $83 to $129. At $97 for members, it sits comfortably inside that spread. Where exactly, and what it means for you, is in this week's piece.
A pour of Deanston 12 at home comes to $3.79 a standard drink. A pint at the pub sits nearer $6.28 for the same measure, and there are about 26 pours in the bottle. More on how it tastes and who it suits in this week's piece. Which way does your week lean?
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week; it usually sells around $104. Marmalade and honeyed shortbread on the nose, salted caramel and milk chocolate on the palate, a peppery oak finish. One for the sweet-and-spice drinker — more on it in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives a Deanston 12 drinker about 93% of what it does, for 92% of the price, at $89 for members. Fragrant once it opens up, cherry and apple over a clean malt. One to try if that's your corner. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Glengoyne 12 is a cut above the 10: clean, malty, no chill-filtering. A splash of water and it opens up, fragrant with cherry pits and apples, a whisper of anise and almond. The pour for when you want a bit more. $89 for members at Dan Murphy's. More in this week's piece.
Glengoyne 12's nearest neighbours start from what they pay for their own bottle, and from there they'd give $95 to $155 for this one. At $89 for members it sits just under where they'd land. The full read on Glengoyne 12 is in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 noses of orange marmalade and shortbread dipped in honey, then turns soft and sweet on the palate: salted caramel, milk chocolate, hazelnuts, fudge, into a peppery oak finish. $97 for members this week; it usually sells around $112. More in this week's piece.
If Deanston 12 is your usual, Dalwhinnie 15 sits close by at $95, giving a Deanston 12 drinker about 94% of what the Deanston does for 98% of the price, all caramelised fruits, soft cream and a light touch of fennel. More on it in this week's piece on Deanston 12.
Ask the drinkers of Deanston 12's nearest bottles what it's worth, each starting from what they pay for their own, and you get a spread: $83 to $138. At $97 for members it lands comfortably inside. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 lands at $97 for members, about 26 standard drinks, so roughly $3.79 a pour at home — a pint at the pub runs about $6.28 a standard drink. Orange marmalade, honeyed shortbread in the glass. More on it in this week's piece.
Deanston 12 is $97 for members at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $112, and we've seen it between $97 and $112. Orange marmalade, salted caramel, a little peppery oak on the way out. Pour one and see what you make of it. More in this week's piece.
Like Deanston 12? Glengoyne 12 gives that drinker about 93% of what the Deanston 12 does, for 92% of its price, at $89 for members. Clean malt, and a splash of water brings it out fragrant: cherry, apple, a touch of almond. More on Deanston 12 in this week's piece.
| bottle | region | latest ticket | read | window price | CE 360° mean | premium | shelf rank | per std drink | drink rank | content |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengoyne 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $98.99 | observed | $98.99 | $90.92 | 8.2% | #11 of 38 | $3.98 | #8 of 36 | 4 |
| Glengoyne 12 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $108.99 | observed | $93.00 | $88.36 | 5.0% | #3 of 38 | $4.59 | #14 of 36 | 31 |
| Glengoyne 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $161.99 | observed | $161.99 | $144.19 | 11.0% | #15 of 38 | $5.47 | #19 of 36 | 12 |
| Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $275.99 | observed | $275.99 | $226.77 | 17.8% | #26 of 38 | $11.62 | #30 of 36 | 16 |
| Glengoyne 21 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $360.99 | observed | $360.99 | $281.50 | 22.0% | #31 of 38 | $15.20 | #33 of 36 | 15 |
| Glengoyne Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky | Highlands | $172.99 | observed | $172.99 | $128.37 | 25.8% | #35 of 38 | — | — | 0 |