Glenlivet 12 Year Old Illicit Still

Glenlivet 12 Year Old Illicit Still
Whisky Glenlivet 12 Year Old Illicit Still
Type Single Malt
Age 12 years old
Abv 48%
Rating 81/100

About

The Glenlivet is based near the Speyside-town of Ballindalloch, and produces the world's second best selling single malt whisky. Their core range mainly exists of accessible and delicate single malts.
Reviews of Glenlivet 12 Year Old Illicit Still
says on June 7, 2021
Would you buy this again? No
Rating: 76/100
Finish strength: Medium
Color: Deep copper

General description

A tasty, spicy dram but not too many flavours on the nose or the palate.

Nose

Apple cider, lots of apples, fizzy sherbet, boiled sweets, malted cereal

Palate

chilli pepper, viscous, Apple orchard fruits, slightly bittefruits, hint of tropical fruits

Finish

dry wood, heat

says on May 30, 2021
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 83/100
Finish strength: Short
Color: Burnished

General description

Neck pour is very impressive. Melon, honey, vanilla and light nutty notes, semi-sweet, velvety and rich on the palate, with subdued melon, peaches, vanilla and honey, the ABV feels spot on, medium length finish carries warm honey, stone fruit notes and a little heat.

says on March 23, 2021
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 88/100
Finish strength: Long
Color: Amber

General description

Full bodied, elegant, rich and complex glenlivet.
Great texture and balance.

Nose

complex, sweet and woody, pear, melon, ripen bananas, honey, wood, barley, hay, creme brulee, vanilla, orange zest

Palate

creme brulee, custard, toffee, barley, oily, bananas, cream, oak, nuts, vanilla, very smooth and full bodied texture.

Finish

barley, woody, sweet, warming, dark chocolate

says on March 15, 2021
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 95/100
Finish strength: Long
Color: Amber

General description

Now I love scotch. Glenlivet. 13 was a great choice

Nose

Carnal. Vanilla

Palate

Smooth

Finish

Sweet refined

says on January 26, 2021
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 80/100
Finish strength: Medium
Color: Old gold

General description

48%, non-chillfiltered and a solid age statement for (initially) well under 40 € - did this bottling accidentally drop out of a time machine?

Nose

The Glenlivet pears are front and center, along with ripe honeydew melon and peach as well as some unexpectedly heavy and fragrant oak tones (sandalwood, coconut, cinnamon)... Then also a floral side: rosewater and lemongrass, perhaps? Though I doubt that there were sherry casks involved here, it does also convey a "dark" impression (charcoal, deep oak spices), leading me to suspect a combination of re-charred, first-fill and perhaps virgin oak. At any rate, an impressive, deeply wooded nose that seems older and more settled than the stated age suggests. Maybe they did actually throw some older stuff in the mix here to achieve this result, who knows.

Palate

What strikes me first is the texture: it's very oily and thick, with a huge "natural" barley flavor that reminds me of some Irish pot still whiskies. So as far as mouthfeel is concerned, this NCF experiment was a success. Banana puree, oatmeal, pear juice, crêpes sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar... The melon + peach combo from the nose makes an appearance as well. Not overly complex, but extremely on point, with very pronounced and clearly distinguishable flavor components. It's also insanely mild and (yes:) smooth for 48%: this goes down like sweet syrup, you don't feel the alcohol at all.

Finish

Lots of caramelized oak and some soft, sweet fruit notes.

says on December 25, 2020
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 75/100
Finish strength: Long
Color: Russetmuscat

General description

Illicit stills are the small, portable destillation devices in Scotland in the early times.

Nose

Quite strong and clear, a lot of oak, the alcoholic note covers overripe bright-coloured fruits like pear and gooseberry, a hint of tobacco

Palate

Very pure and clear and a bit rough on the palate almost like an Irish whiskey, there is some rich and creamy mouth and tooth feel, a bit of oaky bitterness, you need to leave it in the glass for awhile - then it develops a nice vanilla flavour and richer mouthfeel, it is now quite sweet actually and very nice

Finish

warm and long down the throat

says on December 19, 2020
Would you buy this again? Yes
Rating: 86/100
Finish strength: Medium
Color: Deep copper

General description

This is the first release in a new annual series called The Original Stories. No info about the maturation on the bottle, but judging by the flavors, it's (mostly) aged in ex bourbon casks.

Non-chillfiltered, bottled at 48% abv, priced at €35-40 and quite tasty. Well played, The Glenlivet, well played. I'll pick up an extra bottle and already look forward to next year's edition.

Nose

Fruity, with notes of malt and warm spices. Apple pie with cinnamon, ripe pear, raisins, orange, soft wood shavings and malt.

Palate

More apple, pear and cinnamon, this time accompanied by ginger and melon. A nice, oily texture.

Finish

Salty crackers with sweet, fruity tea.

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