Quietly, the room agrees

A mate texts on the way home: bring something, we've got six people and no one fussy. You pull in at Dan Murphy's. The Scotch runs the length of one wall. You want the one bottle that won't leave anyone out, and your hand goes to Glengoyne 12.

That hand knows what it's doing. Among the bottles sitting closest to it, Glengoyne 12 fits nearly every foot near it. It lands in the top 5% for how broadly it's liked. Pour it for a table of six and you'll struggle to find the person who slides the glass back.

So what's in it? A cask-strength Glengoyne, no chill-filtering, a clear step up from the entry-level 10. The clean maltiness the distillery is known for runs right through. Add a splash of water and it opens up: fragrant, fruity, cherry pits and apples, with hints of anise and almonds. A good effort from the new owners.

If you want a change of pace, three bottles sit close enough to stand in.

Glengoyne 10, $99 this week. Fresh and well-rounded, malt and oak and a touch of sherry, cooking apples, a long buttery, vanilla finish that slowly dries. To a Glengoyne 12 drinker it gives about 97% of what the 12 does. It usually sells around $88, and we've seen it from $88 to $99.

Aberfeldy 12, $104. Fresh and floral, lively tropical fruit, honey and vanilla, a youthful orange marmalade finish with a hint of spice. To a Glengoyne 12 drinker it gives about 95% of what the 12 does. It usually sells around $104.

Glencadam 15, $140 for members. Delicate and floral up front, cereal and cooking apples, a hint of white pepper, then honey, vanilla, roasted chestnuts and nutmeg, finishing on oak and ginger. To a Glengoyne 12 drinker it also gives about 95% of what the 12 does. It usually sells around $140, and we've seen it from $140 to $160.

What to pay for the 12 itself? This week it's $89 for members. That's the number everything else gets measured against.

Now turn it around. Ask the drinkers of the bottles nearest it what the Glengoyne 12 is worth to them, each starting from what they already pay for their own, and the answers run from $95 to $155. Even the drinker who marks it down hardest still lands at $95. This week's price sits under the whole range. An easy yes, then, even for someone who usually reaches for something else.

Who's it for?

If the 12 is already your pour, $89 for members is a good week to keep the cupboard stocked. Drink the 10 and want a little more? This is the same house with more behind it: the maltiness you know, and extra fruit. Come in on Aberfeldy 12 and its tropical-fruit-and-honey side? The Glengoyne will feel like close company, a shade cleaner through the middle. Been spending on the Glencadam 15 for the nutmeg and chestnut? The 12 trades some of that spice for cherry and apple and keeps most of what you were there for.

And whichever of these you carry home, a pour at the kitchen table comes in under a pint at the pub. The Glengoyne 10 works out at about $4.48 a standard drink, the Aberfeldy $4.71, the Glencadam $5.51, against $6.28 for a standard drink's worth of a $13 pint. Roughly 22 pours in the 10 and the Aberfeldy, about 25 in the Glencadam.

So, back to that bottle shop and the six waiting faces. You could stand there longer, or hand over more. But the 12 asks the least of everyone and gives nearly all of them what they came for. Hand it over the counter, $89 for members, and don't give it another thought until the glasses are empty.