Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Finish

This is from a bottle from several years ago. I kept a small sample. I honestly can’t remember if this has changed much. I seem to remember perfume notes . . . but I’m not sure. It is one of those bottles I had during the extreme days of my “peat-madness.” I was totally uninterested in it. I still don’t think much of it. On this night I tasted it against Glenfiddich 15yo and Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist (the 16yo bottling from 2006). The Ardbeg had an unfair advantage in this line up . . .

Nose: Much hotter on the nose (soapy at first too) then the Glenfiddich 15yo. Grass and lemon. No fruit with only the slightest hint of smoke. The hint of peat is infinitesimally small – like entering a room where a hint of peat just left. Now I just caught a hint of strawberries. And now a hint of malt! The more I stay with this nose the more I like it.

Taste: Pears, white wine, and a little bitter perfumed soap – sad. Do all Glenlivet’s have soap on the mouth? I can’t believe they do. So why does it seem to be the case for every bottle I buy?

Finish: Very short finish. Mostly just malt, flowers and a hint of bitter oak.

Balance, Complexity: I have to give it a little credit for a complex nose. But the balance just wasn’t there. I can’t call “soapy” balanced.

Color, Body, Aesthetic experience: Classic amber. Very light bodied – almost like water. Over all I am tempted to like Glenlivet more then Glenfiddich in the eternal battle of the Glens . . . but this bottle ain’t helpin’.

Conclusion: I imagine that one day I will buy another bottle of Glenlivet. This will almost certainly not be the bottle I buy. In some tasting lineups some bottles have a disadvantage . . . such was the case putting Glenfiddich 15yo and Glenlivet 15yo against an Ardbeg 16yo for my taste preference. I really should been more fair. Too bad it was my last drop of the stuff. If there had been another non-peated 15yo in the mix the score of this might have been slightly higher . . . but I still don’t think I would ever buy a bottle.

Find where to buy Glenlivet whisky