Glenlivet 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: The Glenlivet

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Pale Straw

Nose: Pleasant. Heather and Floral Tones, Malt, Lots of Fruit like Banana, Pineapple, Apple and Lemon. Apple-Juice as well. Sweet Grains, Honey and a bit of Oak. Very light Alcohol and Spices (Clove).

Taste: Delivery is sweet but with an unexpected bite on the palate. First strong impression is of Aniseed. Slightly bitter Marzipan. Toffee, Brown Sugar. Where are all those lovely floral and fruity tones that the nose promised? Certainly a disappointment after the pleasant nose.

Finish: Not much going on here. There’s that bite again. A hint of apple returning after a while. Bit of Malt and lightly salted Almonds. Disappointing.

With a couple of drops of water there’s some more fruit on the nose and a hint of milk chocolate. On the palate the Marzipan gets more weight. The bitterness remains though. But you can experiment with a few drops.

Rating: 81,5

Nose: 22 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20,5

General Remarks:  George Smith built The Glenlivet Distillery in 1824. It moved to the current location, Minmore House near Ballindalloch in 1858 and produces around 6 million litres of Alcohol yearly. Current Owners are Chivas (Pernod Ricard). Glenlivet is the best selling Single Malt in the USA and the second best on a global scale. Most of the production is sold as Single Malt with the remainder going to the Chivas Regal – and Royal Salute Blends. Most distilleries closed various times during their history, especially during the Depression and in wartime. But Glenlivet only closed during World War II. Without any doubt, the Glenlivet has contributed a lot to the current popularity of Single Malt whiskies.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: This Single Malt has a promising start with the fresh fruity nose and the early Aniseed and Marzipan on the palate. But then everything turns slightly bitter and sugary. And there’s that sudden bite. The apples at the very end can’t save the finish as well. It’s not very expensive at around USD 40, - Still, I believe The Glenlivet 12 Years to be a missed opportunity. This could have been a great Single Malt but in the end it’s not.

Jan van den Ende                                                               February 14, 2012