ABV: 43 %
Origin: Speyside
Type: Single Malt
Bottles in collection: 0
Emptied bottles: 0
Impression: 4/5

Tasting notes
Nose: This is fruity and sweet. At first there’s a fruitiness with apples and pears up front. Beneath there’s a sweeter layer with honey, vanilla and fresh red fruits. There’s also cinnamon and a hint of marzipan. With some time in the glass it becomes floral and perfumey. A top layer of black liquorice start to form and becomes more pronounced over time. This is a very pleasant nose but it’s feels younger than its age.

Mouth: The first impact is honey sweet and malty. The fruitiness is now oranges and overripe red berries and it is not as fruity as on the nose. There are feint notes of dust and old books in the back. A hint of lemon comes through on the sides. There is also black liquorice coming through and a bitterness builds up in the back which merges with the oranges to give hints of peel. It’s very rich and full bodied.

Finish: It starts out mild and sweet once again. Honey and vanilla sits in the middle together with a fruitiness still leaning towards oranges and ripe berries. The maltiness moves forward with time and it sticks around when the oakiness starts to come through. It’s a very nice oakiness with hints of nuts and a thin coffee bitterness. The finish is very long and very rewarding. Overall it feels somewhat younger than its age and it lacks some complexity, but it’s still a great whisky and it offers a lot of flavours.

Additional information
The Glenlivet 21 YO is aged in a mix of ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry casks. There are both american and european oak casks used. Since it’s created in batches made by selected casks the content varies over time. This bottle is drawn from batch 1016P.