Glenlivet 18yo Speyside Single Malt Whisky
43% abv
£33
$90.15(CAD)
$70(USD)
No real theme to this week, but I will be trying two well-known 18 year olds back-to-back today and tomorrow and then just see where the week takes me.
Glenlivet is the 5th biggest selling malt in the UK and 4th in the world. The water source is Josie's Well, mineral rich water that is therefore not as soft as the water sources of most distilleries. This is the second Glenlivet to be tasted in this malt mission, so if you want any more distillery info see Malt Mission #27, use a link to the left, or use your friend Google.
TASTING NOTES:
I usually don't note colour, but for some reason I cannot help but note the vibrance of this one, it just seems to shimmer copper. It just looks different. Hard to explain. Not just the colour itself, but the way it refracts light is very attractive to the eye and somehow different than most whiskies. I will test this in subsequent days. If I am wrong I will delete these sentences. Fair?
Loads of nuts and oak. The aromas are deep and weighty in that they sit heavy in the nose (for context, I have described these as having a similar effect) Rich. Sweet but woody like peach pits, some kind of flower but I dont know what it is called; it is purple-ish.
A great interplay of sweet barley and oak; starts with a fruity, syrupy sweetness and then oak swells up in the mouth. Never drying or too woody, tho. It is a spicy balance of bourbon and sherry oak influence, vanilla pods and cinnamon. The sweetness comes back to coat the finish which is firmly based in oak, solid and medium-long.
SUMMARY:
A very satisfying, typically speyside-style whisky. Never gets too sweet or too oaky, showing great balance in this regard. Not as exciting as the 15 French Oak, with dozens of perceptible flavours and aromas, but much more certain of who it is and that kind of confidence is good in a whisky as it is something you feel you can trust over the years and know what you are getting every time.
Malt Mission #51
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4 comments:
"purpleish". Dude that's hillarious. Reminds of a Simpsons episode where Homer comments on his fruit intake by listing off the various jelly fillings in the doughnut box...."purple's a fruit"
I had Glenlivet 18 for the first time last week on vacation. I have always liked the 12 but was amazed by the 18. I even detected a slight smokiness in the 18 which surprised me.
I received a bottle of Glenlivet 18 as a present from my wife last year. I found it remarkable and uplifting. I feel that the 12 stands on it's own right. Unlike the Highland Park 18 (which ruined my love for the Highland Park 12, the Glenlivet 18 is a different scotch then it's 12 year old namesake.
Thank you so much Dr.Whisky for your work. I look forward to promoting the blog as best I can.
Great value! The price is reasonable for an 18yr old single malt in my opinion.
Sometimes a brand gets so popular (think Robert Mondavi wines) that it is in vogue to bash. You have not done this but I have seen it elsewhere. Glenlivet is a top seller and for good reason. Great flavor profile!
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