Glengoyne 12 Year Old

Glengoyne 12 Year Old is a 750mL Highland single malt Scotch whisky bottled at 43% ABV, matured twelve years in a hand-selected mix of first-fill European oak sherry casks (20%), first-fill bourbon casks (20%) and refill oak (60%). Glengoyne is the unpeated outlier of the Highlands: its Golden Promise barley is dried by air alone, never peat, and the spirit is run at what the distillery calls Scotland's slowest distillation — patience that pours as lemon zest, toffee apple and sherry-rich fruit rather than smoke. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• ABV: 43%
• Size: 750mL (US bottling)
• Age: 12 years
• Casks: 20% first-fill European oak sherry, 20% first-fill bourbon, 60% refill oak
• Barley: Golden Promise, air-dried — never peated
• Origin: Glengoyne Distillery, Dumgoyne, Highlands, Scotland (est. 1833)

Distilled in the Highlands, Matured in the Lowlands

Glengoyne sits directly on the Highland Line at Dumgoyne, north of Glasgow: the stillhouse stands in the Highlands, and the warehouses across the A81 road stand in the Lowlands, so this is a Highland whisky that sleeps in the Lowlands. Founded in 1833 and owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, the distillery built its identity on doing everything slowly — air-drying its low-yield Golden Promise barley instead of peat-kilning it (one of only two distilleries still using that barley), then distilling at a deliberately unhurried pace. The twelve-year-old is where the house style declares itself: sherry casks for the golden colour and dried fruit, bourbon casks for citrus and vanilla, refill oak to keep the spirit in front. See the distillery's other ages on the Glengoyne vendor page and its neighbours in our Scotch whisky collection.

Tasting Notes

The brand's traditional panel: natural rich gold in the glass; coconut oil, honey, lemon zest and dried oak on the nose; toffee apples, ginger, orange and shortbread on the palate; and a finish with a hint of sherry over soft oak.

How to Enjoy

Neat first — an unpeated twelve-year-old rewards an unhurried pour — then with a teaspoon of water to lift the citrus and shortbread. It is also a distinguished Rob Roy base. More Highland malts are in our Scotch whisky collection.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Glengoyne 12 peated?
No. Glengoyne dries its barley with air only and never uses peat — there is no smoke in the whisky. Its richness comes from the sherry and bourbon cask mix and the slow distillation.

What casks is Glengoyne 12 matured in?
A brand-specified vatting of 20% first-fill European oak sherry casks, 20% first-fill bourbon casks and 60% refill oak, matured for twelve years.

Why is Glengoyne called a Highland whisky if it matures in the Lowlands?
The distillery straddles the Highland Line at Dumgoyne: distillation happens on the Highland side, while the warehouses across the road are in the Lowlands. Scotch takes its region from where it is distilled.

No peat, no hurry, twelve years of sherry and bourbon wood — order Glengoyne 12 Year Old online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.