Glenlivet 12 Year
12 year, 40%, Rating: 7.5, Scotch, Single Malt
The Glenlivet is somewhat of a legend in the world of scotch for both its history and for where the distillery is located, the region of Moray. (If you decide to look up Glenlivet’s history, you should also look up Andrew de Moray, the lesser known partner to William Wallace.) Glenlivet is a single malt, meaning that they soak the barley for several days, allowing the starches in the barley to convert to the sugars needed for fermentation. This particular Glenlivet is aged for 12 years in oak barrels that were previously used to age other spirits or wines – usually bourbon (a plus) but sometimes sherry or port.
The result is quite pleasing. You get a great mix of the flavors of the oak and malted barley with the flavors of what was previously in the casks. The outcome here is a sweet, almost fruity smell with a pretty hefty sting of alcohol. The taste is very smooth and the bite of the alcohol takes longer to come on than a standard bourbon or whiskey would.
Straight
The flavor is pretty complex with some familiar flavors - the barley and oak - and some unfamiliar flavors – there’s a bit of fruit, maybe pear and cherry, and a little chocolate as well. The finish is quick and a tingy, almost metallic feel, which can be attributed to the pear. I like to add a little purified water or a few ice cubes to tweak the flavor. I got a fuller taste and a crisp finish after a few ice cubes were added.Mixed
Not sure why anyone would want to mask a good single malt by mixing it with anything, but I tried it anyway. Mixing with cola (diet in this case) completely takes away from the drinking experience and is pretty much a waste of your time unless you just want to get liquored up and spend a lot of money doing it.