“Money For Nothing”
Whisky Review # 996
Country: Scotland 🏴
Region: Speyside
Brand: The Glenlivet Archive - Batch #: Unknown
Type: Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Age: 21 Years
Alcohol By Volume (ABV): 43%
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bourbon casks and Sherry Butts
Maturation: Mix of Ex-Bourbon casks and Sherry Butts
Chill Filtration: Yes
Price Range: US$ 170-200 (July 2023)
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 Go for the 18 Years instead
Price/Quality Ratio: 👎 Too expensive for what it offers
Buying Advice: 👎 Go for the 18 Years instead
Colour: Golden Amber (Natural Colour)
Nose:
Please give this 21 Years some time in the glass before Nosing. This way you will allow the Aromas to develop and avoid the initial waft of Varnish. The Nose is a bit on the Thin side for such a mature Malt suggesting Re-Fill casks in the mix. There are certainly an important number of Sherried casks in the mix as well as Dark Red Fruit, Dried Fruit and Nuts lead the way. It certainly evokes memories of X-Mas cakes. The Alcohol is well-integrated here. It's not bad at all but somehow you would expect more of a 21 Year-Old Single Malt at this price level.
Main Aromas:
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, slightly Burnt Caramel, Wax, X-Mas Pudding, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas, Apricots, Plums and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Dark Chocolate, Oak, Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint and hints of Tropical Fruits.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Nougat, Marzipan, Wet Stones, Varnish, Dark Berries and Cherries, Unripe Apples and Pears, Floral Soap, Dusty Road, Tobacco, Herbal Tea, Leather, Pepper and Cloves.
Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, slightly Burnt Caramel, Wax, X-Mas Pudding, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Sultanas, Apricots, Plums and Figs, Mixed Nuts, Dark Chocolate, Oak, Citrus Peel, Cinnamon, Ginger, Mint and hints of Tropical Fruits.
Supportive Aroma Accents:
Honey, Toffee, Vanilla, Nougat, Marzipan, Wet Stones, Varnish, Dark Berries and Cherries, Unripe Apples and Pears, Floral Soap, Dusty Road, Tobacco, Herbal Tea, Leather, Pepper and Cloves.
Too Thin for this age and price-level. The Casks, Cask-Spices and Alcohol become more noticeable. The slightly Dry palate offers a balanced mix of Bitter, Sweet and Sour notes.
Main Flavours:
Toasted Barley, Brown Sugar, X-Mas Cake, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums, Apples, Apricots and Bananas, Dark Berries and Cherries, Mixed Nuts, Floral Soap, Dark Chocolate, Oak, Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon and Nutmeg.
Supportive Flavour Accents:
Honey, Vanilla, Marzipan, Nougat, Wet Stones, Orange Peel, Tropical Fruit, Herbal Tea, Leather, Tobacco, Grapefruit, Espresso, Cloves, Aniseed, Licorice, Menthol & a Green note I can't quite place.
Honey, Vanilla, Marzipan, Nougat, Wet Stones, Orange Peel, Tropical Fruit, Herbal Tea, Leather, Tobacco, Grapefruit, Espresso, Cloves, Aniseed, Licorice, Menthol & a Green note I can't quite place.
Thin, Bitter-Sweet and on the Short side. Some Sour and Peppery notes develop towards the Medium-Dry end. I find Toasted Barley, Brown Sugar, Caramel,Treacle, Dried Fruit like Raisins, Plums, Apples and Banana, slightly Sour Red Berries and Cherries, Honey, Caramel, Orange Peel, Resin, Oak, Dark Chocolate, Espresso and Spices like Pepper, Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves and Nutmeg, Licorice, Mint, Herbal Tea and Grapefruit Juice. The Oak and Oak Spices are (too) prominent suggesting that this Glenlivet Spirit has overstayed its time in the casks.
Drinking Advice:
Added Water does not improve this Glenlivet. It's already too Thin as presented.
Added Water does not improve this Glenlivet. It's already too Thin as presented.
Rating: 7.5 (*******1/2)
Nose: 7.5 - Taste: 7.5 - Finish: 7
*** Important Note with respect to Rating.
If the Final score is above 8 you can safely buy the whisky in question if and when it fits your Aroma/Flavor profile. If the score is between 6 and 8 you might want to try it out in the form of a sample or if offered at a good price. Anything below 6 should be left alone when you are looking for a nice sipping whisky. You might still like it of course & I realize pricing is an important item for many whisky fans especially when you are used to enjoy whisky in a cocktail or a mixed drink.
Drinking Experience Neat: Good
Conclusion:
The Glenlivet Distillery is located in Ballindalloch (Banfshire) and was founded in 1824 by George Smith. Since 2001 it is owned by Chivas Brothers Pernod Ricard In 2018 a new production extension became operational that has increased the production to around 21 million litres making it the largest Single Malt distillery in Scotland. The Core range includes The Founder's Reserve (NAS), the 12, 15, 18 and 21 Years as well as the XXV and the Captain's Reserve.
The Glenlivet Distillery is located in Ballindalloch (Banfshire) and was founded in 1824 by George Smith. Since 2001 it is owned by Chivas Brothers Pernod Ricard In 2018 a new production extension became operational that has increased the production to around 21 million litres making it the largest Single Malt distillery in Scotland. The Core range includes The Founder's Reserve (NAS), the 12, 15, 18 and 21 Years as well as the XXV and the Captain's Reserve.
The Glenlivet distillery is huge but most of their Single Malts are unspectacular & very Main-Stream. That is alright of course if you like that type of Whisky and can get it at a reasonable price. But that's exactly where this 21 Years goes awry. It's unspectacular and very Main-Stream but it comes with a hefty price tag. Not to mention the facts that it's Chill-Filtered and is bottled at a worrisome 43% that leaves this Single Malt way too Thin. I therefore advise you to leave this 21 Years alone and buy the 18 Years instead if you like this Aroma and Flavour profile.
*PS: Quality and type of casks used may vary from Batch to Batch.
Cheers!
Jan van den Ende July 13, 2023
