Glengoyne 10, and the Bottle One Along

Here is why. The bottle closest to Glengoyne 10 for less money carries the same name on it. Glengoyne 12, $89 for members, gives a Glengoyne 10 drinker about 96% of what their own bottle does. Same distillery, a little less at the till. If you already love the 10, you barely have to move your feet.

So, the 10 itself. It is Glengoyne's entry-level malt and the one you see most often, made entirely from unpeated malt, which the distillery reckons keeps the essence of the thing. The nose is fresh and well-rounded, medium-sweet, with malt and oak and just a hint of sherry. On the palate it is smooth and delicate, a touch oaky, with a suggestion of cooking apples. The finish runs long and buttery, vanilla turning slowly dry. Worked out per pour, it comes to about $4.48 a standard drink across roughly 22 standard drinks in the bottle, which sits under a pint at the pub at about $6.28 a standard drink.

If you do fancy a change, three bottles stand in.

Glengoyne 12, usually around $89 for members. A cask-strength, unchill-filtered version of the house style, that same clean maltiness underneath. Add a drop of water and it opens right up, fragrant and fruity, cherry pits and apples with hints of anise and almonds. To a Glengoyne 10 drinker it gives about 96% of what the 10 does, for 90% of its price.

Aberfeldy 12, usually around $104. Fresh and floral, lively tropical fruit, honey and vanilla over a malty base, finishing on orange marmalade and a hint of spice. Easy-going stuff. To a Glengoyne 10 drinker it lands at about 95% of the 10, for 105% of its price.

The Deveron 12, usually around $91. The Macduff distillery's bottling, once sold as Glen Deveron. Soft, sweet and fruity on the nose, vanilla and ginger, ripe peaches and apple blossom, then butterscotch and Brazil nuts before a touch of liquorice and dry, spicy oak. To a Glengoyne 10 drinker it comes to about 88% of the 10, for 91% of its price.

Now, the price guide. Glengoyne 10 is $99 at Dan Murphy's this week. It usually sells around $88, and across what we have seen it has run from $88 up to $99. So this week sits at the top of its own range, which is worth knowing before you reach for it on habit.

One more way to read it. Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest Glengoyne 10 what they would pay for it, each starting from what they already pay for their own. A Tomatin 12 drinker lands at about $86, which is 88% of what their own bottle costs them, marking the Glengoyne down mostly for the name on the label and for sherry and dried fruit. The other way round, a Glengoyne 10 drinker puts Tomatin 12 at about 86% of their own bottle, for the same two reasons. Across all the nearest bottles, the answers spread from $82 to $128. At $99, this week's price sits comfortably inside that spread.

So, who is it for. If Glengoyne 10 is your bottle, it still is, and $99 is the price of it this week. If you want the house style for a touch less, the 12 is right there. If you like honey and tropical fruit more than apples, Aberfeldy 12 is your pour. And if peaches and butterscotch sound like your evening, The Deveron 12 will see you right. Every one of them does the job.