The Glenlivet 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 70 cl with Gift Box

Product Information

Nose: Quite big and well-rounded. There are notes of chewy sultanas and Sherried peels, barley sugars and toasty cereals with petals and apple blossom. A touch of fudge and gentle wisps of smoke. In the mouth: A tropical fruit salad with an intermission of French oak in the middle. Like on the nose, it’s initially tropical fruits. I get light and slightly lasting tastes of cantaloupe, pineapples, sapodilla, starfruit, Fuji apples, honey and dried apricots. There’s a sneaking, rising heat here too as I chew it. The French oak manifests in the form of mushrooms. Similar to the nose, I get subtle and brief tastes of dried shiitake mushrooms, chaga powder and leather. At the end are a subtle mix of more tropical fruit notes with something bitter. The bitterness makes me think of biting into a fresh coconut husk, as well as honeydew and different shades of orange. Conclusions: Palate: Opens with the smooth creaminess and tartness of a mouth-watering limoncello, but without the sweetness. This develops to guava, smoothed over with faint caramel. Above the guava are other light flavors of nutmeg and wild strawberry. Hi Greg, thanks for the kind words. I havent had the Fiddich 18 in a while. But I can recall liking the 15 over the other 2. I guess I can only partially agree with what you said.

George Smith is born in 1792 a small hillside farm in the parish of Glenlivet. He came from a long line of illicit distillers. As a young man his perseverance and determination were clear to see. However, as he stepped up to support his family. He was working as a joiner, building barns, mending fences and doing odd jobs on neighbouring farms.

Taste: The green apples have faded in the mouth, but they are still present. The palate gives place to a more complex mix of flavors than the unidimensional nose in my sense. Spices, nuts, chocolate and dried fruits are mixed in a nice balance. Each and every Member must be of legal drinking age in its country of residence to be allowed to use the Service. If no such law exists in a Member’s country of residence, the Member has to be over 21 years old to use the Service. We have the right to ask you to provide proof of your age and/or to provide further identification to prevent underage usage and/or for any other legal or legitimate purpose. By using the Service, and by creating an account you represent, warrant and confirm that you are of legal age. I find the nose wonderful. It's a delicate balancing of flavours: quite a bit of flowery aromas and fresh, sweet fruits. Add to that some sherry and even a pinch of peat and you have a nose that will make you long for more.

This dram is basically what you'd expect to get from a mature Glenlivet. It's got the smooth, inoffensive every-man qualities that makes the brand so popular, but with the wonderful mature complexity that comes with age. However, I may not buy this one again, at least not for a while. Where I live it is literally double the price of the 12. The 12 is certainly not as good. But is it worth paying double for? Don't get me wrong, it truly is considerably better than the twelve. I've yet to see how the 15 year old French oak measures up, but I digress... Palate: Interesting with a cocoa / spice rub mixture dissolved in dark honey followed by roasted nuts and citrus drops. This is good whisky, but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better than the 12 or the 15. The dominant European oak/ex-oloroso sherry cask influence just makes it that much more different from the 12 and 15. Unlike at other distilleries, we don’t use peat during the drying process, so the barley’s natural flavours and aromas are retained. MILLING

Score: 6/10

Great whisky but a bit low on ABV. If this whould have had 48% alcohol I think it would have been more balanced, had would have had more depth. Nevertheless this is a great product :-) Well crafted and clever - a lot too discover within a very narrow range of flavors. At first this might seem a simple whisky, but it's not. Let it open up, let it evolve. Great depth with hints of peach, honey like sweetness, leafy influences, vanilla and a hidden sourness. Lovely!

OK, that's not a serious title really. What I'm saying is that this is so, sooooo drinkable! I've just finished one sample, (which was to be my third and final drink of the day after reviewing a couple of others) but I've found myself pouring another. The ex-sherry cask aged components blended here must be very minimal. I’m more inclined to think that a small portion of ex-sherry cask-matured Glenlivet was blended in this expression, rather than it being a finish. The distillery DNA and American oak flavors are more noticeable from start to end, while he ex-sherry notes like the dates, cherries and milk chocolate are sparingly present on the nose and finish. Nose (undiluted): Though the nose is a bit understated, the sherry cask influence is evident with dried fruits, but with more brightness than the raisins and dates profile I typically associate with sherried whisky. Dried cranberries and raisins perhaps. Cherries. Vanilla frosting, icing sugar, oak. Adding water brings out some sharper notes on the nose. Bright orange zest comes through and dark chocolate shines through on the palate. Water thins out the body of the whisky, but brings forth more spiciness, especially nutmeg. The addition of water is interesting, but I prefer this one neat.The trade-off between body and spiciness isn't worth it to me. For me this system works perfectly. I know that anything over 30 is "buy every bottle." 25-30 is buy a new bottle once the last is finished. 20-25 is buy at the right price. Under 20 is don't buy (unless it is a gift). Under 15 is "re-gift." And under 10 is very, very sad.And thank you for this 18 year old. I like it. It's not overly complex, mind you, but it is sufficiently interesting. Matured in second fill European and first fill American Oak there is a nice spicy tropical balance to this. However Systemdown assured me that Nadurra was a good little whisky and he proved me correct with his sample of Nadurra and so when I saw the 18 year old Glenlivet I was a little intrigued. On the nose: Tropical fruits in the first half. Earthy in the second half. Initially, this is similar to the 12-year-old. There are medium intense aromas of pineapple, dried apricot, sapodilla, and starfruit. After these come light aromas of Fuji apples, honey and coconut sugar syrup. The intensity turns up a bit. It allows me to smell honeydew, orange jam and orange peel. Subtle aromas of French oak characteristics come out. An assortment of mushrooms like dried shiitake and grounded chaga comes to mind. Color, Body, Aesthetic experience: Nice golden honey amber. Medium to light body. Points for age but not much else.