Review: MacDonald’s Glencoe Blended Malt 8 Years Old

There’s something I really love about whiskies like this. MacDonald’s Glencoe Blended Malt 8 Years Old isn’t trying to be elegant or polished — it’s a big, sherried, cask-strength Highland blend with plenty of personality.

At 58% abv, it’s definitely not messing around. Produced at Ben Nevis distillery and sold as a blended malt, Glencoe combines Ben Nevis with another undisclosed Highland malt. It carries an age statement of 8 years, but offers more muscle than many others in its age group. This whisky leans heavily into sherry, with a distinctly old-school character that isn’t afraid of some roughness around the edges – something I’m growing particularly fond of.

MacDonald’s Glencoe Blended Malt 8 Years Old Review

The nose is big and immediately heavily sherried, with raisins, dark cherries, and orange peel followed by toffee, toasted nuts, and vanilla. There is an earthy, almost rubbery quality playing in the back, alongside pepper, clove, and a faint mineral note. It’s not conventionally pretty, but that’s kind of why this is an interesting bottle.

The palate is where Glencoe really earns its keep. Rich, oily, and powerful, with dark dried fruit, plum, raisin, and orange giving way to malt, chocolate, pepper, and toasted oak. At 58%, there’s plenty of heat on offer, but loads of flavor to back it up. A slight earthy, savory character keeps the sweetness in check, while a touch of mint and gentle smoke appear with time.

A little dilution softens the alcohol and brings forward some honey, nuts, and citrus. The finish is long, warm, and spicy. A flavor bomb of coffee, dark chocolate, oak, and dried fruit hand around, leaving a pleasantly drying and slightly bitter finish.

There’s a muscular, earthy quality that feels increasingly unusual in modern Scotch. The combination of young whisky, heavy sherry influence and cask-strength bottling produces something that is occasionally unruly but rarely boring. It has plenty of fruit and sweetness, but the darker, dirtier notes that make older styles of Highland whiskies so interesting.

At 8 years old, it’s remarkable how much character this whisky carries. It won’t appeal to anyone looking for a soft, polished dram, but if you enjoy full-bodied heavy whiskies, this is a seriously fun bottle.

116 proof.

A / $55

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