Review 155
4/7/13
Glenlivet
Nadurra 16 Yr: 59.7% abv
Background: Glenlivet is a Speyside malt, as
you may already know. If you know any single malt Scotch, you probably think of
one of two distilleries: Glenfiddich and Glenlivet. Although Glenfiddich holds
the crown for being the bestselling single malt in the World, Glenlivet is more
popular in America, being the #1 selling malt whisky in the US. So, with a
volume of about 5.9 million liters being produced per year, there is quite a
lot of Glenlivet going around. We aren’t huge fans of the 12 year, which lacks
a great balance and appears far too fruity for its own good. So why would we
review a Glenlivet then? Nadurra, a non-chill filtered, 16 year version of
Glenlivet at cask strength, which is aged in French Oak casks, takes Glenlivet
to a different level in terms of quality and notability.
Straight
Nose: The
nose starts off the with classic Glenlivet notes, including some champagne and
green grape notes, along with a cooked apple smell, which contributes a crisp, refreshing
aroma to the whisky. If you dig deep enough, you can get the soft, ripe smell
of a banana in the nose as well. It is a very malty nose, with wood and grain
notes making for a dry, sweet smell coming through. The wood notes include some
maple and oak tones, with vanilla influences from the wood coming out as well. There
is a subtle citrus note that cuts through, but it doesn’t over-dominate the
aromas. Along with the sweet notes, you get some allspice and nutmeg smells
coming through.
Arrival: Naturally,
in a whisky at this proof, there will be an intense spiciness that presents
itself. There is some cinnamon intensity, with vegetal, bitter notes starting
off the cadence of this whisky. There is a small amount of honeydew and vanilla
that adds to the sweetness in the arrival, which is relatively masked by the burn
of the alcohol.
Body: There are some tropical fruits coming through
in the body with pineapple notes. There is a large contribution of maltiness to
the body. The cinnamon presence from the arrival continues through to the body,
and lingers onward. There is also a dominant vegetal characteristic to it that
seems to provide a grassy character to the whisky.
Finish: The finish
holds some bold malty flavors, with some grapefruit citrus notes coming
through. There is some green grape that come through as well. There is vanilla
bean flavor that resides in the finish, with some cinnamon notes and fresh mint
as well. The vegetal quality of the body lingers through to the finish and does
not at all diminish.
With Water
Nose: With a
little bit of water, I would venture to guess you’d find this closer to its
distant cousin, bourbon. The nose brings out some soft melon notes, akin to
cantaloupe, with a contrasting grapefruit smell. Along with this, it is more
creamy and soft. It becomes more vegetal as well.
Arrival: The
arrival, after some water, will be much more pleasant than you last remembered
it. There is a malty creaminess to it, almost like a vanilla malted shake.
Body: The
spiciness is less prominent than before, with a good balance coming about as a
result. There is still a big vanilla character involved, which seems to
dominate the flavors on the palate in the body. Nothing more really happens in
the body at this point, and it isn’t until the finish that big flavor changes
happens.
Finish: The
finish, after adding water, becomes more sugary and sweet, retaining the big
malty character from before, and holding onto some of the grape character that
came from the arrival. There is some orange rind that we noticed later on in
the finish, and some grain bite as well. There is also an odd pumpkin spice
note that starts to develop as you focus more on the departure of the flavors. There
is still some smooth banana flavor that comes in.
Final Comments: This is quite a hot whisky out of the gate.
You might not expect this out of a Speyside, or even a Glenlivet for that
matter. Fortunately, despite its hotness, it has quite a bit of engaging
material to offer up to your palate. After water, there is more balance and
complexity, but be weary. With too much water, the body will lose some of its
rich complexity that you’ll find at the natural presentation. The real problem
with this bottling of Glenlivet is that it shows that Glenlivet can make a
super-high quality whisky, and people should expect that from them. For this
reason, KCM encourages NOT to buy Glenlivet 12 Year, or Glenlivet 18 Year, but
if you’re going to buy Glenlivet, this one is the way to go.
Why you’d buy it: Because
you enjoy intense cask strength whiskies and want to see how French Oak plays
into the taste profile
Why you wouldn’t: It is
far too intense or intimidating
Score: 9.25/10
No comments:
Post a Comment