Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso Batch OLO614
Muddy
0 783
Review by @MaltActivist
- Nose22
- Taste20
- Finish20
- Balance21
- Overall83
Show rating data charts
Distribution of ratings for this:
I'm not the only one who claims the original Nadurra 16 Cask Strength as one of their favorite whiskies of all time. I mean come on! That near perfect crisp green apple served at a deliciously high strength has made many an evening.
There's a number of Nadurras in circulation. There is the first-fill bourbon aged for 16 years and then bottled at cask strength (which varies in the mid 50s ABV). Then there is the slightly watered down to 48% version of the same whisky. There is a 1991 vintage known as the Triumph.
And now this latest NAS offering matured in Oloroso casks found pretty much only in travel retail.
For those who read my reviews know that I am wary of Oloroso influencing good whisky and completely taking over it. I have seen it happen on many occasions. Perfectly reasonable whiskies get treated with Oloroso overkill and are reduced to muddy, sweet syrup which hide the true essence of the expression.
I've seen it happen too many times and I'm seeing it again!
This NAS Nadurra matured in Oloroso is bottled at 48% and my sample is from a brand new bottle (code 0L0614)
Nose: Manuka honey. Orange. Brown chocolate. Very earthy. Autumn leaves. Clove. Cherry. Licorice. Strawberry jam. Port or some other type of fortified wine. Soft dates. The nose is not too bad. Quite typical Oloroso influence.
Palate: Full mouthfeel. Mild cinnamon. Bitter chocolate. Dark honey. Plums. Coconut oil. Oak. Gets quite savory mid-palate. Gets more muddy. More confused. Starts off nice but loses grip towards the end.
Finish: Barely there. Maybe some oak. Maybe some cinnamon.
Why try and fix something which is not only not broken but quite gloriously in one brilliant piece? Maybe the new Nadurra spirit coming out of Glenlivet is not as pristine as it's predecessor and, hence, the Oloroso plays a masking game? Perhaps. I certainly hope not.
Regardless the result is slightly below average whisky which doesn't even come close to it's 16 year old namesake. Quite sad, indeed.
Find where to buy Glenlivet whisky
@MaltActivist, great review, as always. Can't say I'm surprised that this one fails to impress. NAS and sherried... I'm confused as to why Glenlivet chose to label this as a "Nadurra" expression. Doesn't seem to fit the name.