Glenlivet 'Unblended Scotch Malt Whisky' (80 proof, OB, UK, 1950s)
A gorgeous old non-age statement official bottling from the 1950s. Perhaps NAS due to extended gaps in production after the war? Also, is this arguably the 1950s equivalent of Founder's Reserve? Sadly I don't actually have any of the current NAS Glenlivets to compare it to. Colour: pale gold. Nose: superbly fat and greasy old school distillate. A world of old took boxes, wax jackets, suet, bouillon, embrocations, hessian cloth and things like ink and earthy black teas. I also find roots, dried heather flowers, dried mint and old school Scottish beers. Really surprisingly complex as over time it starts to make you think of sandalwood and pollens too. Mouth: excellent attack and power, lots of resinous fir wood, salted honey, mead, camphor and a rather herbal waxy quality. Still these impressions of ink and bouillon stock, but also nicely sooty now and going towards paraffin wax, mineral oils and tiger balm. Really a barley eau de vie that's been rounded by some very polite wood. Gets more herbal with tarragon, then fennel and wee hints of paprika too. Finish: medium, but very waxy, oily and almost greasy with these mechanical and sooty notes. But still a little minty and mentholated in the aftertaste. Comments: this is the second bottle of this I've opened and my feelings never changed: this is brilliant distillate! It's clearly young, but that is every bit an asset here as it still packs power and complexity even after all these decades in glass. I'm reminded of a similarly youthful, non-age stated and distillate dominated Pulteney bottling by Cadenhead's from the 1960s that I wrote notes for on these pages not too long ago - they're windows into history these bottlings. Probably for the best we didn't have the present Founder's Reserve against it.
SGP: 462 - 90 points.

Glenlivet 12 yo (70 proof, OB, UK, c1978)
Colour: bright straw. Nose: clean and malty, with yellow fruits and wee sappy hints, some herbal teas and bergamot as well. Easy, rather natural and extremely pleasant malt whisky, that manages to retail a slightly firmer, older style character. Mouth: a little soft on arrival, lots of teaish impressions, digestive biscuit, barley sugars, condensed milk sweetness and a little pine wood. Finish: medium, sappy, oily and still on this nice biscuity sweetness. Comments: old fashioned in multiple sense, but an honest and very loyal malt whisky profile that is hard to argue with.
SGP: 541 - 85 points.

Glenlivet 12 yo (43%, OB, Baretto import Italy, -/+1974)
Colour: deep gold - noticeably darker than the UK one. Nose: a totally different story, noticeably more sherry influence and a globally earthier, mulchier and fatter profile that involves herbs, liqueurs, wormwood and gentian. Also dried mint, tarragon and rather a lot of camphor and wax. I'm a total sucker for this style, and Baretto seemed to always be delivering this sort of Glenlivet to Italy. Mouth: also great, soft wood spices, pepper, tea tree oil, ink, dried out old herbal liqueurs, a nicely salty and resinous touch from the sherry. What's not to love? Finish: good length, still that lovely salty, drying sherry quality, along with more of these superb peppery notes that bring to mind Talisker. Comments: watch these old Glenlivet 12s, they can be deadly. But I think the importers tended to have the better batches.
SGP: 562 - 89 points.

Glenlivet 1956/1968 (80 proof, The Knapkin Syndicate)
I couldn't tell you about the origins of this bottle, apart from that it looks like one of any number of obscure, private bottlings of malt whisky that were done in Scotland during these decades. Colour: pale straw. Nose: not unlike an old Cadenhead Dumpy in some ways, with this big mix of waxes, cooking oils and shoe polish, rather typical 1950s distillate style. But excellent too I would add, especially with these wee tingles of eucalyptus and mineral oil. Mouth: the epitome of 'old style' which is waxes, green and white fruits, minerals, peppery warmth and various wee herbal and medicinal touches. Not complex particularly, but wonderfully flavoursome and clearly within this historic style. Finish: good length, quite tart and peppery now, with a little sharp acidity, flinty notes and white flowers. Comments: a fascinating historic oddity, but also an excellent, nicely naked and punchy old Glenlivet. Just lacks a bit of complexity to get over the 90 hurdle.
SGP: 462 - 89 points.

Glenlivet 20 yo (45.7%, OB, Baretto import Italy, 2400 bottles, early 1970s)
Colour: gold. Nose: that immediate sense of old style malt whisky converging with old liqueur territory, you cannot help but think of things like vintage yellow Chartreuse along with herbal infused waxes, crystallised honey and camphor. There's also a lovely sense of dried exotic fruits emerging too. Superb! Mouth: extremely herbal and waxy, with these lovely peppery and gentle medicinal tones, lanolin, tiger balm and lapsing souchong tea. Finish: long, minty, lemony and also nicely peppery, still rather medicinal and with a drier waxiness. Comments: a great old Glenlivet that that epitomises this excellent 1950s malt whisky profile in my view - that is more liqueurish, fatter and more herbal than some 1960s or later examples could be.
SGP: 652 - 90 points.

Glenlivet 18 yo 1951 (45.7%, OB, Baretto import Italy, +/-1970)
Colour: deep gold. Nose: very close to the 20yo, but we are going up a notch in terms of power, concentration and intensity of these wonderfully syrupy and liqueurish vibes. A beautifully complex herbaceousness, bags of gloopy waxiness and many wee notes of metal polish, mineral oils, olive oil and hessian cloth. It's also perfectly mentholated and showing lovely wee notes of crystallised and dried exotic fruits. Stunning nose! Mouth: outstanding concentration and this frankly gorgeous syrupy texture that coats and slathers every part of the mouth. Many earthy and herbal tea notes, more herbal liqueurs, tea tree oil, lanolin and camphor. Also getting more resinous and with these rising salty sherry notes in the background. Finish: stunningly long, resinous, salty, herbal, earthy, mulchy and with this lingering medicinal fade. Comments: what a stunning old Glenlivet, there are parts that even feel like they belong more to pre-WWII whisky styles. I remember opening a bottle of this for my 30th, do I have time to find (let alone afford!) a second for my 40th I wonder… 
SGP: 562 - 93 points.

Glenlivet 28 yo 1971/2000 (51.8%, Signatory Vintage, Millenium Edition, cask #10222, sherry butt, 392 bottles)
Colour: deep orangey amber. Nose: all manner of dark fruits soaked in very old Fins Bois cognac. Plus old cigar humidors. Plus prune eau de vie and dark chocolate gâteaux. In some ways rather simple, but also totally perfect in this very direct and vibrant expression of superb old style sherry. With water: drier, more mentholated, a few medicinal herbs, strong black tea and walnut wine. Mouth: perfectly bitter dark chocolate flecked with sea salt and chilli. Cloves, aniseed, hardwood spices and resins, then sultanas and raisins. The whole is extremely classical with yet more of these mulchy earthy vibes and plentiful rancio. With water: wonderful flavours of aged plum wine, soy sauce and salted almonds coming through now - the sherry profile feels like it is becoming more complex rather than, say, more tannic, which often happens. Finish: medium, lightly sappy, warming soft spices, figs, sultanas and more boozy prunes in the aftertaste along with some nicely fruity black coffee. Comments: quite simply, some exemplary old Glenlivet from an exemplary old style sherry butt. At times fragile, at other times simplistic, but the whole is charming and undeniably glorious.
SGP: 561 - 90 points.

Glenlivet 1972 (58.5%, Gordon & MacPhail for Sestante, 1980s)
Colour: mahogany. Nose: the kind of sherry cask that G&M seemed to specialise in filling during this era, very punchy and hugely on dry earthiness, cured game meats, freshly brewed black coffee and some very fine bitter dark chocolate. There are fruits as well but they take some time to show, eventually damson jam, plums, prunes and fig all come through and the overall profile becomes juicier and a little more generous with the sweetness. Detailed, powerful but excellent sherry! With water: more flowers, preserved dark fruits, leather and rather rustic earthy qualities. Still this subtle meatiness too. Mouth: once again this is huge whisky, and very powerful, but not overpowering. A lot of bitter herbal extracts, chocolate liqueur, natural tar and fir resins with walnut wine, treacle and some very old Grande Champagne Cognac. Truly, one for sherry fanatics! With water: wonderful development, incorporating many subtle spices, natural tar and precious hardwood resins. Very peppery and warming too. A rather monolithic dram! Finish: very long, peppery, full of wood spices, spiced dark fruits, aged cognac impressions once again and more walnut and chocolate characteristics in the aftertaste. Comments: I would say water is pretty essential here. As time goes by, whenever I taste old style sherry bombs such as this one, I am left just desperate to know more about the history and origin of the casks used. A very 'G&M' profile and very specific to this era I think.
SGP: 571 - 92 points.