Glenlivet old young and recent old


May 8, 2024

WF's Little Duos, today Glenlivet old young and recent old

The kind of game we like, especially with Glenlivet. Or Glen Grant. This brings us to that recurring cruel dilemma: should we first sample the oldest one, which is of a lower strength, or the younger one, which is of a higher strength? We have never really found the perfect answer, so let's start with this venerable 12-year-old that will serve as a prestigious aperitif...

'The Glenlivet Just Slightly Out Of Reach'. An ultra-classic advertising angle. (Print ad, 1986)

Smith's Glenlivet 12 yo 1958/1971 (70°proof, OB for Peter Dominic ltd., sherry wood, cask #2483 and 2484, 26 2/3 ozs)

We had tried a 1967 for Peter Dominic that had been flabbergasting (WF 93). Peter Dominic was a London wine merchant that, apparently, had been bought up by IDV (J&B, Gilbey's) so then, I think, GrandMet before this Glenlivet was bottled. The Peter Dominic company had also written 'Everybody's Wine Guide' that you can still find online. It's now become a 'non-trading company'. Colour: full gold. Nose: It's the elegance of these old Glenlivets that strikes first, featuring hints of rosewood, aged tobacco, old floor wax, and beeswax, then a burst of freshness, especially from very ripe apples and praline. A charming and subtle aroma, not unlike an old Sauternes that has already shed nearly all its sugars. Mouth: Quite dry, leaning towards the sultanas from an old tin box (a personal quirk), but with a touch of cardboard, chicken broth, a bit of salt, mint sauce (typically British!), and hints of honey or mead syrup. There's a slight metallic edge, probably some Old Bottle Effect, but the whole remains fresh and eminently enjoyable. Finish: Not as short as you might think, with a sort of broth and honey mix. A superb aftertaste of fine honeys. Comments: Typical of a great whisky from an old bottle. The 70 proof/40% ABV aren't exactly the best for keeping well for centuries, but in my humble opinion, it's still very, very good.
SGP:552 - 88 points.

Glenlivet 32 yo 1990/2023 'Lost in Time' (62.4%, OB for The Whisky Exchange, refill hogshead, cask #27277, 132 bottles)

I deeply like it that they would have let the distillates sing within this newish series, instead of burying them under heavy oaks and wines, as is the latest fashion in whisky. Well, I might have written this somewhere before. Colour: gold. Nose: superb tension, focusing on cider, fresh barley, and green tea. Not much else, but that's normal for such a wild strength at 32 years old. Long live the refills! With water: it stays very close to the barley, earth, dark beer, cider apple, in short, the countryside. A few crumpled mint leaves add to the mix. Mouth (neat): this wild tension returns, more lemony this time but also with honey and linden tea and coriander leaf. It pinches the tongue a bit but we like that. Yes, indeed. With water: perfect, with the diabolical duo of granny smith apple and lemon, then several honeys and honeydews. It's high precision and somewhat returns to the profile of very old Glenlivets that hadn't been fully crafted in sherry. At least, that's how it seems to me. Finish: long, always fresh, vibrant, precise, and remarkably and gloriously simple. Class, in a word. Comments: a magnificent series that in terms of profile, takes a bit of a contrarian approach to what else is happening in the competition. Well, it might not be a very 'mainstream' expression.
SGP:561 - 91 points.

(Thank you mucho, Logan !)

Check the index of all Glenlivet we've tasted so far