When it comes to other finishes at other distilleries, I sometimes can’t tell that it’s been finished in a different cask. Oftentimes it can be a little subtle and unless you have had the non-specialty-finished whisky, you can’t pinpoint origin. Unless port is completely foreign to you, there’s no way you’ll miss the impact of finishing in port pipes. The specific sweetness imparted by finishing in port pipes is very evident on the palate.

The nose has the fruitiness I’ve come to expect from Balvenie, though I couldn’t pick out the raisins from their “official” notes. The palate is influenced by the portwine finish, supporting the fruit I picked up from the nose. The finish has a distinct nuttiness, like the aftertaste you have after chewing on walnuts. It’s also remarkably smooth, something you’d expect from a whisky old enough to be served at a bar.

At it’s price point, it’s an indulgence and not a regular staple, though you would be doing yourself a great service by picking up a bottle for your cabinet. Of the full “regular” range of Balvenie bottles, the only ones I haven’t enjoyed are the Thirty and Forty (aged 30 years and 40 years respectively). I imagine they would bring the same level of enjoyment I’ve come to expect from Balvenie.

Islay

Islay, Old Norse for Yula’s isle, is the home to such popular distillers as Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and Ardbeg. The distilleries are located on the coasts, with the most well known found on the southern end (including all those named). In all of Scotland, peat was the most plentiful source of fuel to roast the barley until the 60s, when better technology came around. Other areas converted to the newer technology. They are marked by a strong smokiness and peat character because they never converted to another fuel source, citing tradition.

Peatiness is a measurable characteristic and often calculated as parts per million (PPM) of phenol. Ardbeg is often considered the most peaty of all Scotch, including the Islays, and is a produce of Glenmorangie, which is a distillery better known for its own namesake Scotch distilled in the Highland region. The standard bottling of Ardbeg has a 50-60 ppm and they have a cask strength “Supernova” bottle (58.9% ABV) with a 100 ppm phenol count.

Speyside

Speyside, which is regarded as the area around the river Spey, scotch distilleries number in the several dozen. On a recent trip to the region, we passed a sign (or two or three) for a distillery every few minutes. The area is packed full of distilleries because many once tapped the river as a source of water, one of the critical ingredients in the production of Scotch. The Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, two of the best selling scotches (and The Macallan, one of the best known), hail from the region.

After the conversion to another fuel source in the 1960s, scotch dropped its peatiness and smokiness, which allowed other flavors to “get through.” If you read the tasting notes of various Highlands and Speysides, you’ll note a heavier emphasis on fruit notes and other complementary flavors like nutmeg and vanilla. Those flavors are often masked by smoke, which is why they are rarely used to describe Islays (or when used, are not emphasized).

Both styles are fantastic and the one you choose should depend on your mood. It also makes it easier to buy a gift for someone if you know which one they prefer. I am a fan of both “buckets” but sometimes people prefer one over the other (I know people who hate islays and those who think Speys are “boring”), so this can help you decide what to buy!

Image Credit: Islay map to Wikipedia, Speyside map to Moray Ways

Without knowing how good the food is, the price is a bit high. The Celebrate the Macallan tasting event I went to in DC was free, though they overbooked and we didn’t get a chance to make it into the actual tasting. The food was OK and they gave us tickets to the next night’s Celebrate event (and glasses of the Macallan 18!), which was more than enough of a compensation.

I looked online and couldn’t find any reviews, just event listings for every Morton’s steakhouse location, but at first glance it seems like a lukewarm deal.

For each of the three main expressions (12, 15 French Oak, and 18), you can opt for the standard label with up to six lines, 30 characters each, of text underneath the Glenlivet logo. Or, you can opt for one of several types of special labels featuring a deck of cards, a sailboat, a golfer, skating, toasting cups, or a cottage and then two lines of text. You can get two labels for free. The labels can be affixed to the bottle over the standard label.

For more information, visit Glenlivet. You may have to join the Glenlivet Society, which is free.

For years, The Glenlivet 12 is my standard daily dram because at $37.99 retail, it’s both affordable and delicious. It’s the youngest of the Glenlivet expressions yet you can find this bottle at almost any bar in America and is the most best selling malt whisky in the United States! (according to Whisky.com) Matured in French oak casks that once held bourbon, I’m a particular fan of the sweetness to help me usher in the night.

What’s your daily dram?

Dru McPherson and Mike Drury made the monster malt to put the village of Tomintoul, Banffshire, on the map.

Tomintoul is a name I didn’t recognize until I went to Scotland earlier this year. It’s located right next/on top of to the more well known The Glenlivet distillery in Banffshire.

World’s largest bottle of whisky [The Scottish Sun]

I started talking to one of the salespeople and we got to discussing The Glenlivet. I told him about how I had visited the distillery, something he wanted to do, and I told him I enjoyed the 18 when he asked if I was interested in trying out the XXV. I had been looking at their taster’s try earlier and didn’t really see anything I wanted to try (mostly younger maturities of brands I was already familiar with), so I was surprised when he opened up the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of the XXV.

Glenlivet XXV

I enjoy scotch but the thought of spending £143, or about $236, on a single bottle was a bit much. I’m not against spending money for quality, but I don’t think I have the ability to truly appreciate and enjoy scotch of that caliber. With that being said, I think my money is better spent buying three or four bottles of more affordable scotch.

Glenlivet Archive 21 Year

The real lesson here is that you should try before you buy and try it in duty free for free.

$2000 A Bottle!

The Glenlivet Cellar Collection is separate from their “Core Range” of the 12 Year, 15 Year French Oak, Nadurra 16, 18 Year, Archive 21, and XXV; and includes the 1959 Cask Strength, 1964 Cask Strength, 1967, French Oak Finish, American Oak Finish, and 1972 Cask Strength. It is the 1964 Cask Strength that gets the go ahead this year.

Is it worth it? The Glenlivet thinks so… here’s why:

BOTTLED at cask strength with no chill-filtration, the character of this spirit is uncompromised.

AGED for 40 years, each of the 14 casks in this batch was hand-selected by The Glenlivet’s legendary Master Distiller Emeritus Jim Cryle.

FEWER THAN 300 of these individually-numbered bottles remain in the United States.

AWARDED the Gold Medal in The International Spirits Challenge, the 1964 vintage makes an outstanding addition to every serious whisky collector’s cabinet.

So, who is going to get one of the three hundred bottles and when are you inviting me over?

Glenlivet is one of my favorite to drink when I was something crisp, smooth, and soothing. It doesn’t have the peatiness and smokiness that my other favorite, Lavagulin, has so I feel compelled to engage it. I can just relax and sip it down.

According to Michael Jackson’s Complete Guide to Single Malt Scotch, the palate is flowery, peachy, notes of vanilla, delicate balance. Having had this many times, I’ve noticed the vanilla flavor in the past (though had a difficult time identifying it) but the peachiness never really struck me too strongly. I think one of the difficulties with the Glenlivet 12 is that the alcohol attacks your senses, dulling them for the flavors that come after it. The heat it brings, both when you taste it and when you sniff it, seems to hide the rest a little unless you carefully look for them. However, as I looked online for tips on how to accentuate my palate, I came across a note about how you should be properly sipping scotch.

I can’t find it but the notes say that when sipping, get enough to coat your moth, and then swirl it around so that you coat everything part of your mouth and tongue. I hadn’t done that in a while so I tried it… and the peachiness came through. It wasn’t until it touched the sides of my tongue did I really discover it. It was a little surprising too because I wasn’t thinking “taste the peach,” I was only thinking “coat my tongue and see what happens.” It was certainly a delight, especially since it came through the heat of the alcohol.

I’ve always enjoyed Glenlivet and haven’t had much of the 12 until recently, opting as the novice does, to go for the older bottles (older is better, right!?); but I’m becoming a fan of the 12 as I notice more of its subtleties. The heat is at times a little off-putting but I don’t mind it too much.