Braeval Braes of Glenlivet 18 yo (Duncan Taylor)

From The Whisky Club website (because I’m too lazy to paraphrase the information):

“Braes of Glenlivet was built by Chivas and the Glenlivet Group in 1973. It is situated in the Livet Glen in Speyside, and is located near to its namesake, the Glenlivet distillery. The distillery was expanded throughout the 1970s and today the six stills produce around 3.8 million litres per annum, most of which is used for blending. Due to confusion with the name, the distillery was renamed Braeval in 1994. In 2002, it briefly shut down, only to be renovated and reopened in 2008. Thanks to the modern equipment at the distillery, Braeval is operated by just one person!”

One person? Sounds like a dream job almost on par with being a traveling NFL reporter with Scarlett Johansson as my personal secretary. Almost.

This IB from Duncan Taylor is bottle #211 from cask 1070. Distilled in March 1989, bottled in October 2007. Fifth (or sixth?) dram from a bottle opened about a month. At near-cask strength, this was sampled with slightly less than a teaspoon of water.

Nose: Mama Mia, that’s-a spicy meatball! Spices (pepper and cinnamon mainly) overwhelm the olfactories at first. A real nose-tickler. There’s also plenty of honey and vanilla, along with some touches of licorice and banana. A unique nose in that the sensuous is more interesting than the scents.

Palate: There a strong grassy/floral taste, not foreshadowed by the nose, and it doesn’t quite complement the array of sweet and spicy goodies: malt, chocolate, cocoanut, shortbread cookies, cinnamon, and a fresh grind of mixed peppercorns. Some quality oak emerges as it sits on the tongue. Too bad that one bitter component competes with so many good things.

The finish is a major rebound. The oak wood dominates, and it’s as smoky-smooth as wood can be. There’s also chocolate, warm cherry pie, and sweet cereal grains. Long-lasting and very satisfying.

If this whisky were a play, I’d say that Act II is a letdown, whereas Acts I and III earn rave reviews. It’s pleasantly unusual and challenging, yet too problematic to earn top marks. Nevertheless, I’d gladly pour it for my friends to solicit some second opinions.

Find where to buy Braeval whisky