If Glengoyne 21 is your bottle, the closest thing to it for less money hasn't travelled far. It's the Glengoyne 18, $276, and to a Glengoyne 21 drinker it gives about 96% of what the 21 itself does. Same distillery, a few years younger, most of the character for about three-quarters of the outlay.
Start with the 21. Younger Glengoyne can be fairly straightforward; this one has had the time to deepen. Underneath it all sits the creamy maltiness the distillery is built on, and around that honey, cookie dough, a dry dusting of vanilla and cinnamon, and soft fruit — citrus and apple. Clean, polished, the sort of dram you keep coming back to.
As for what to pay: Glengoyne 21 is $361 at Dan Murphy's this week, and it usually sells around $361, so this week is the going rate.
| 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 | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed | 360.99 observed |
| basis | mean | median | sd | min | max | range | cv | se mean | latest | own-range pctl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 360.99 | 360.99 | 0.00 | 360.99 | 360.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 360.99 | 100 |
| member | 360.99 | 360.99 | 0.00 | 360.99 | 360.99 | 0.00 | 0.0% | 0.00 | 360.99 | 100 |
| moments | m1 mean | m2 var | m3 skew | m4 ex-kurt | 95% band of the mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| list | 360.99 | 0.00 | null | null | 361.0 – 361.0 |
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.
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.
Glengoyne 18, matured with a generous share of first-fill sherry: milk chocolate, vanilla and melon on the nose, then cinnamon, ginger, almonds and orange marmalade, the spices lingering over easy-going oak. $276. More on it 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.
Glenfarclas 15, $130. The nose is deep and aromatic: dried fruits, toffee, a whisper of leather. Full and smooth across the palate, all Christmas cake, raisins and roast oak, with the warming spices lingering. My favourite sort of sherry dram. More in this week's piece.
Like Glenfarclas 15? The Glendronach 12, $119, gives a Glenfarclas 15 drinker about 97% of what it does, for 92% of the price. Sherry, without being ruled by it. More on Glenfarclas 15 in this week's piece. Worth a swap?
| # | candidate | price | CEARP | price − CEARP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glengoyne 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $275.99 | $347.66 | -71.67 |
| 2 | Glenfiddich 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $174.90 | $334.14 | -159.24 |
| 3 | Glengoyne 15 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $161.99 | $315.57 | -153.58 |
| 4 | The GlenDronach 15 Year Old Revival Whisky 700mL | $175.99 | $298.65 | -122.66 |
| 5 | Glencadam 15YO Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $150.00 | $270.08 | -120.08 |
| 6 | The Glendronach 12YO Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $118.99 | $263.97 | -144.98 |
| 7 | Dalmore 21 Year Old Malt Whisky 700mL | $989.99 | $252.08 | +737.91 |
| 8 | The Dalmore 18 Year Old Scotch Whisky 700mL | $535.99 | $245.80 | +290.19 |
| 9 | Glenfarclas 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky 700mL | $389.99 | $244.96 | +145.03 |
| 10 | Fettercairn 18YO Single Malt 700ml | $357.99 | $242.05 | +115.94 |