GoldCock 20 Year Single Malt

While seeking whisky deals one day, I found a bottle that seemed like a joke. To my surprise, it was real: Gold Cock. The name alone made me buy it for the potential jokes. After some "Would you like to taste my Gold Cock?" and "You haven't truly lived unless you've had 20-year Gold Cock in your mouth" quips, I decided to review it. Prepare for more wordplay. Bringing the Gold Cock near my nose, I detected a blend of berries and a background barnyard funk layered with simmering apple cider, whole cinnamon sticks, gooseberries, and huckleberries. The funk then resurfaced, bringing notes of wet hay, clay, and freshly shorn sheep wool, along with a moderate alcohol sting. After appreciating the aroma, I took a sip. Despite its 49.2% ABV, the texture wasn't as heavy as anticipated, offering a medium mouthfeel. It began with an astringent, spicy sensation before yielding to apple cider, gooseberries, and huckleberries. This was followed by a cinnamon stick broom, barnyard funk, wet hay, flint rocks, and freshly shorn sheep wool, with a moderate alcohol burn. Swallowing the Gold Cock left a medium-length finish with hints of citrus, berries, chocolate, and barnyard funk. Ultimately, I'm not a fan due to its astringency and the odd combination of fruit, spice, and intense barnyard notes that didn't harmonize for me. If you enjoy cleaning horse stalls with breaks for apple cider and sour berries, this might suit you. Now that the review is done, I'll share some small 2-ounce Gold Cocks with friends to see how it performs for them.

From a generous collection of samples received from a friend. The aroma bears a slight resemblance to the well-known Icelandic Floki. There's a certain funk that suggests a misnomer for its name, though this is significantly better. I actually prefer it to the other, but it's not outstanding. Very little oak influence for a 20-year-old. Yes to the berries and barnyard funk. I'm unsure of the price, but ultimately, it seems like a miss for a 20-year-old whiskey. I would prefer Dickel.

Very smooth and quite pleasant for sipping.