The Glenlivet Archives - Whisky a Day

Whiskies #439 & #440: The Glenlivet Showdown – Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt & Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt

November 21, 2016 by Whisky a Day Leave a Comment

It’s time for a Glenlivet showdown! In the blue corner…The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt, while in the red corner we have The Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch No. FF0115). Let’s get ready to rummmmmmble!

Whisky #439: The Glenlivet Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 48.7%. Tasted at home, $100 (bottle).

Colour: Deep caramel.

Nose: Almost a bit tannic – like nosing a gutsy, yet dry red wine. Fresh and grassy with some mildly astringent alcohol vapours that give the nose a bit of a prickle.

Palate: Very direct – a burst of concentrated dried apricots down the centre of the tongue along with some peppery spice. Not the oily, creamy mouthfeel typically associated with many sherry influenced whiskies.

Finish: A drying, sherried finish. Some slightly bitter citrus flavours (think blood oranges) along with dry woody notes. A medium to long finish.

Whisky #440: The Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt (Batch No. FF0115). Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 59.8%. Tasted at home, $130 (bottle).

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Honey and sweet biscuity notes. Fresh pinecones.

Palate: Tangy and zesty; salty yet a sweetness too. Like sucking on a lemon sherbet sweet. Rich and warming, this is a whisky you can really sip and savour.

Finish: Long – this one hangs around for a while. A warm citrus buzz on the front half of the tongue.

Overall comments: The Guardians’ Chapter was a limited release of only around 2,000 cases. It was selected by The Glenlivet Guardians…basically their registered fan base. Aged in American oak and former Oloroso sherry casks, Glenlivet sent the Guardians three sample whiskies to choose their preferred one for bottling. This is their choice.

The Glenlivet have always made some fantastic whiskies, and the Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength Single Malt is certainly up there as one of the better ones I’ve tried. However, the Guardians’ Chapter Single Malt was a little disappointing – it’s not that it’s a poor whisky, far from it – it’s just that next to the Nàdurra First Fill Cask Strength it gets left in the shade. I’m always partial to a cask strength dram and the Nàdurra First Fill ticks all the boxes – bucketloads of flavour, full mouthfeel, great balance and complexity, not to mention the satisfying warmth and buzz that come from a high ABV whisky. It just feels like a much “cleaner” dram than the Guardians’ Chapter which was a little thin and tannic for my tastes.

I know which one I’ll be grabbing next time…though given the rate at which the Nàdurra First Fill seems to be emptying itself, that may be sooner rather than later!

Whisky & Chocolate Truffles

July 2, 2015 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Whisky and chocolate…it’s been a partnership I’ve wanted to explore for a while, so when I heard of a fantastic chocolatier in Perth named Sue Lewis (http://suelewischocolate.com) who makes whisky truffles, I just had to try them. Sue mentioned that when she makes the ganache for her truffles, she only adds the whisky towards the end so that the flavours of the whisky are preserved and unaffected by other flavours and the heat required to make the ganache.

On this occasion, Sue had some milk chocolate truffles made with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt as well as some Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Dark Chocolate Truffles. I also have a weakness for salted caramel, so I grabbed some of her salted caramel dark chocolate truffles as I figured they might go nicely with a smokey or spicy malt.

Glenlivet Milk Chocolate Truffles with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt: Milk chocolate truffles with a chocolate ganache with The Glenlivet 12 Year Old. A very faint hint of whisky, but it’s very subtle. Chocolatey almost rum ball kind of flavours to the ganache. Smooth, creamy milk chocolate, the ganache almost has some hazelnut flavours to it. I think the truffles are amazing, though perhaps The Glenlivet 12 is too subtle a whisky to let its characteristics shine though over the rich creamy chocolate flavours. I think the whisky compliments the chocolates very nicely, but truffles are definitely the star in this pairing.

Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon Dark Chocolate Truffles: Dairy free dark chocolate with Knob Creek 9 Year Old Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon. These were sweeter than the Glenlivet truffles, presumably that’s the bourbon’s sweeter characteristics shining through. Rich, brown sugar & cream notes, dry cocoa too. As a whisky truffle I think this combination allows the bourbon flavours to come through more compared to the Glenlivet truffles, though purely on flavour I’d go for the Glenlivet truffles (even if the whisky influence is extremely subtle).

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles with Talisker 57° North Single Malt: These truffles did not contain any whisky, but I figured a salted caramel truffle would be a good match for the salty, rich and subtle honeycomb flavours of the Talisker.

There was a satisfying crack as we snapped through the exterior of the salted caramel truffle. The Talisker was smokey on the nose, but had some intense saltiness on the palate…which complimented the salty sweetness of the salted caramel truffle brilliantly. Stunning. Individually they are both great, but together they are amazing. Wow, what a combination. I think the dark chocolate worked particularly well with the salted caramel and whisky combo.

Overall, the Glenlivet truffles were fantastic on their own and would appeal to everyone, whether a whisky fan or not. I’d like to try some truffles containing whisky with a bit more body and character, maybe some rich sherry flavours from say an Aberlour. But the winner was definitely the salted caramel dark chocolate truffles – you don’t have to have whisky in the chocolate to enjoy whisky with chocolate. These flavours were amazing with the Talisker 57° North, though I’d like to explore some more dark chocolate, salted caramel flavours with some other smokey and spicy malts, particularly from Islay.

If you’re in Perth I’d suggest you pick up some dark chocolate salted caramel truffles, grab a few Islay or other Island malts and settle in for a night of gastronomic experimentation, you won’t be disappointed.

Whiskies #70-73: Whisky Live 2014, The Glenlivet Masterclass with Laura Hay

May 17, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Whisky Live 2014, The Glenlivet Masterclass with Laura Hay, Rydges Hotel, $40.

Happy World Whisky Day everyone!! Right – after a brief hiatus, I am finally getting back into posting my tasting notes. Apologies for being off the air for a few weeks – I’ve not been slack, I’ve simply been busy drinking whisky dammit!! Anyway, lots of tastings to catch up on so let’s get straight into it…

I was again privileged to attend the Whisky Live Glenlivet masterclass facilitated by the wonderfully experienced and erudite Laura Hay. Now some people might know a little about a particular region or distillery, some might even claim to know a lot. But no-one I have ever spoken to can claim to know a fraction of what Laura can about The Glenlivet, nor tell as many engaging or funny stories and historical anecdotes. Mainly because Laura grew up living and breathing Glenlivet whisky. Now that makes her sound like a raging alco (I trust you she’s not, well that’s what she tells us!), but she literally worked and grew up right at The Glenlivet distillery.

Anyway, in between learning some fascinating things about the history of The Glenlivet and Laura’s experiences growing up there, we also got to taste quite a number of their releases. We started by tasting The Glenlivet 12 year old, but having recently reviewed it as Whisky #65 you can find the tasting notes here: https://whiskyaday.com/whisky-065/.

Next up was The Glenlivet 15 year old French Oak Reserve, which I’ve also covered as Whisky #23 here: https://whiskyaday.com/whisky-023/

Whisky #70, The Glenlivet 16 year old ‘Nàdurra’. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 54.3%

Colour: Pale gold.

Nose: Lots of fruit here, also smells a bit like creaming soda – sweet and creamy.

Palate: Fresh, yet very full flavoured. Spicy vanilla, creamy and sweet. Definitely some of those creaming soda flavours. Oily mouthfeel. Love it.

Finish: Quite a long finish, which is great as I really enjoyed this one.

Comments: Definitely a noticeable step up from the 15 year old, both in terms of ABV and flavour. For me, this is the pick of the bunch from today’s session – but see the tasting notes below for the Glenlivet XXV for a comparison.

Whisky #71, The Glenlivet 18 year old. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%

Colour: Burnt toffee.

Nose: Floral, sweet, quite complex.

Palate: Very smooth, touch of sweetness and malt.

Finish: A hint of smoke, quite a dry finish.

Comments: Didn’t enjoy this one anywhere near as much as the Nàdurra, as evidenced by my lack of enthusiasm for writing more comprehensive tasting notes. Onto the 21 year old!

Whisky #72, The Glenlivet 21 year old. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%

Colour: Kind of like a light, clear tawny.

Nose: Minimal alcohol on the nose, soft hay aromas.

Palate: Toast; it has more flavour intensity, spice and complexity than the 18 year old.

Finish: Spices and warmth build around the mouth after you’ve swallowed.

Comments: Much prefer this to the 18 year old, has a lot more depth of character. Very keen to move onto the 25 year old now…

Whisky #73, The Glenlivet XXV 25 year old. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 43.0%

Colour: Dark caramel.

Nose: Christmas pudding aromas.

Palate: Quite a complex palate, soft and sweet but with loads of flavour.

Finish: Medium length with an oily mouthfeel; not much residual spice or heat.

Comments: Softer than the 21 year old. It’s a damn nice drop, but for the price point if you were buying a bottle (circa $500) I think there is probably better value to be had elsewhere. But if it’s on offer at a whisky event…well give me more!! Overall though, I think the Nàdurra is the pick of the bunch – the 25 is amazing, but the Nàdurra in my opinion is a cracking whisky and at a much better price point.

In summary, fantastic Laura – a very engaging and enlightening session, I learnt a lot. If you have the chance to attend one of her masterclasses – do it!! Highly recommended.

Whisky #65: The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt

March 31, 2014 by Whisky a Day 2 Comments

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Single Malt. Speyside, Highlands, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%. Courtesy of my mate Gordy – $0, tasted at Whisky a Day HQ.

Colour: A real pale yellowy gold. I know gold is yellow, but this was particularly yellowish. And pale. C’mon it’s been a long week, I just want to unwind with a dram, not have to justify my lacklustre description of the whisky’s lustre.

Nose: A little fruity. Not sweet fruit, more like a dried apple.

Palate: Smooth entry, oily mouthfeel, no alcohol burn. Sort of a grassy kind of taste, sweet black pepper tastes.

Finish: Quite a thin finish, faint pepper aftertaste too.

Comments: A great everyday drinking drop; a staple, one of the big names. If you were looking for an easy drinking single malt to introduce to a friend who isn’t a huge whisky fan, or maybe someone who is under the misapprehension that all whiskies are extremely peaty or smoky, then The Glenlivet 12 is a great drop to start on. For those who are into whisky a little more, you can find more depth and complex flavours elsewhere. But then, you probably already knew that didn’t you?

Whisky #23: Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malt

February 25, 2014 by Whisky a Day 1 Comment

Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve Single Malt. Speyside, Scotland. ABV: 40.00%.

Colour: Light reddish gold. Like an ageing ginga. Perception of this may have been slightly influenced by the backdrop.

Nose: Hint of sweetness & a bit of hay, maybe also dried apricots? My good mate Kiwi described it as a “fancy man’s Jim Beam”. Not sure I agree.

Palate: Soft, underwhelming entry. Kind of like a Citroen attacking a tight corner, too much body roll and you don’t feel confident how you’ll come out the other side.

Glenlivet 15 yr French oak reserve…like an ageing ginga

Finish: Quite short, oily. Given it’s been in French Oak, it’s unsurprising that the flavours surrender so early.

Comments: Not that inspiring. Can’t agree with other reviews, a little disappointing. It’s not unpleasant, just a little too smooth & characterless for my liking.