Glenlivet 12 Years French Oak Finish

Country: Scotland

Region: Speyside 

Brand: The Glenlivet French Oak

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40 %

Colour: Light Amber 

Nose: Not a whole lot of special things going on here. Quite Dry with some Sweet tones. I get Dusty Oak, Grass/Straw, Toffee, Toasted Malt, Vanilla, Potpourri of Dried Fruits (with Apricot in the lead) and traces of Honey, Butter and Heather. Certainly not unpleasant but rather understated. The Wood tends to dominate the Nose a bit.

Palate: Rather thin delivery with Sweet Malt, Aniseed, Vanilla, Pepper, Cinnamon, White Grapes, Grass, Oak, Floral Tones and Nuts.

Finish: Middle-Long with some Sweet Fruit, Toffee, Aniseed, Pepper, Nutmeg and Dusty Oak. The Oak gets the last word again.

I added a bit of water and the Nose becomes more Floral and less Woody. The Palate gets more Fruit but the dram does become a bit too thin. The Finish becomes very Woody! You can add some drops but one at the time until you have found your ideal flavour profile.

Rating: 82.5

Nose: 21 - Taste: 21  - Finish: 20  - 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. The 12 Years French Oak matured in American Oak Bourbon Casks but was finished for probably 6 months or maybe a little more in new Casks made of Limousin Oak. This wood is normally used to produce Casks for fine Wines and Cognacs. The Glenlivet Distillery used it for the first time for whisky. I believe this specific 12 Years expression was created in the early 2000's. As far as I know it has been discontinued in the meantime. Maybe because the contact with the Limousin Oak was not long enough to create a significant difference with the Standard Glenlivet 12.  Although in my opinion the Nose of the Standard 12 is characterised by Sweet Fruit while the Nose of the French Oak is dominated by Wood.  A 15 Years French Oak expression still exists. I will review that one later this year as well to see if the presumed extra Limousin Oak time made any difference.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: The idea behind the French Oak Finishing was certainly interesting. Lots of Cognac, Armagnac and noble Wines have matured in Limousin Oak. Well, the Glenlivet 12 French Oak is not a bad whisky. But I would have liked to see more balance. The Wood is too dominant on the Nose and in the Finish. And the Delivery is on the thin side. However if you like the taste of Aniseed, you should give this one a try. As it is, I liked the experiment but would not consider buying a full bottle if it was still available. I am curious however to find out if the 15 Years French Oak did a better job!

Jan van den Ende                                                            January 31, 2013