Glenlivet Nàdurra 16 Year

I missed the boat on these age statement Nadurra bottles. Up until 2014/2015 Glenlivet released the Nadurra (Gaelic for “natural”) line with an age statement of 16 years. Dwindling stocks have forced them to make the entire line NAS releases now. My journey into scotch didn’t kick into high gear until 2015, so I missed my chances at grabbing these bottles while they sat collecting dust on shelves locally. Thankfully, these can still be found at auction for a decent price- that’s where I landed 2 bottles, including this one from Batch #0114A (basically, filled in January 2014. I believe the “A” indicated which warehouse the cask was stored). I scored this bottle, after auction premiums and shipping, for $78. Quite the deal for a 16yo single cask in my opinion. I absolutely love the NAS Nadurra releases- so how does an age statement bottle stand up to those? It’s a crystal clear, new gold in the Glencairn. It’s very oily with sparse legs and tiny droplets left behind- very indicative of the high proof of 55.3% ABV. The nose is heavily honeyed with vanilla and beeswax dominating the initial whiffs from the taster. Apples, pears and cut oak clearly let you know these were ex-bourbon casks and the whisky spent considerable time in them. At no point did it smell hot nor abrasive in any way. We’re off to a good start. The palate again showcases sweet honey. It’s hotter than the nose lets on, but it’s still really smooth and creamy. The mid sip reveals all the wood characteristics and late in the sip there’s a wonderful cinnamon (Red Hots) candy and black pepper note. It flushes away the sweetness and vanilla with a rush of intense power. I really liked that part the most, I think. The finish is long and the heat stays well after you’ve finished swallowing the whisky. Actual cinnamon and vanilla linger on until you’re ready for another sip. In conclusion, this one still holds up well. I’m kind of shocked to say that I’m not sure this is better than the NAS Nadurra First Fill, which is good news to the powers that be at Glenlivet, because it proves they don’t need to age these casks longer and quality probably didn’t suffer by switching to younger juice. They seem to be doing a fine job at selecting which casks are worthy of the Nadurra monicker. I hope that continues. These are the only Glenlivet I think I’ll spend my money on moving forward. The entire Nadurra line just wins big in my book. If I can keep scoring bottles of the 16yo at auction for a reasonable price I’ll probably keep buying them. At $78, they are still cheaper than the NAS bottles on shelves locally ($85-90), so why not. Do not be afraid to buy any of the Nadurra stuff- it’s quality juice. This one gets a solid 4.25-4.5 stars from me. Cheers, my friends.

I've got here one from batch 1214E, clocking in at a formidable 60.2% ABV. 16 years old, bottled in 2014. Many have claimed that Glenlivet's core line is too-watered down, tampered with, and generic. Let me be one to say that this a viable expression of Glenlivet for those of you who write them off for those reasons. Nose: Fruity and floral. Pear, peach, coconut. Marshmallow, toffee, and vanilla, and a bit of honey. Some caramel and orange citrus. Heavy on the toasted almond and walnut. Sugar cookie and a coconut. A touch of cinnamon and oak at the end, but nothing that would indicate a whisky that clears 120 proof. Very good, not remarkable. Palate: Heavy on the bourbon cask notes. Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and cola. Very fruity; apple, plum, pear, apricot, and orange. Roasted cashew comes through in a big way. Graham cracker. About midway through, those subtle cinnamon and oak spice notes from the nose get turned up to 10. As the back of the box describes, the lack of chill-filtering results in a creamier and more full-bodied mouthfeel. Fantastic; this is where the whisky really begins to shine. Finish: It's more of the roasted cashews, and interesting barrel char note. Some of the darker fruits from the palate linger: Gala apple and plum. Cola. Vanillla. Cinnamon, baking spice, and oak carry this on and on for what is long and stellar finish. One of the best mainland Scottish malts I've had in some time. Hell, it may even be the best I've ever had within that specification. Uncut, non-chill filtered, 16 years old, under $100 (ran me $87). A palate fit for Gods and a finish that goes on forever. Nothing to complain about here. It's a shame that they dropped the age statement with the Nadurra releases. I'm fortunate to have found this one in 2019. At $87 this is a steal to the highest degree. This will be the first mainland Scotch I award the full 5 stars since I began writing full reviews and actually took the time to critically evaluate what's in the glass. This will be the new benchmark for quality and value. Absolute must buy. At this point, I'd say it's the only way to drink Glenlivet. Hopefully they bring back the age statement. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But with something this good, I'd prefer to remain optimistic that I will one day get to try it again in this very form. If you're lucky enough to see one of these in 2019, you know what to do. Cheers! Re-reviewed in February 2026. Same batch. Still a 5/5. Top shelf stuff from Glenlivet—bring this back. It hasn’t been topped since.

* My bottle: from Batch 0814D, 55.7% Nose: Buttery, caramel malt. Oranges and barley sugar. Strong vanilla and some honey. As it opens in the glass pear and stewed apple aromas emerge. There's something of the feel of a country kitchen about this nose, with fresh-baked pies cooling on a well-scrubbed wooden table. Later still apple blossoms and pineapple appear. Adding water makes the cask apparent. Palate: Neat, the arrival is full of flavour but surprisingly not too hot. Quite buttery in texture and with an emphasis on malt. The development brings vanilla and some spicy pepper, with the texture turning dry. Orange oil. With water (and time - see below) the palate opens and broadens but does not change profile. Finish: Neat, the finish is long and primarily cereal/vanilla, turning quite dry with a touch of dark chocolate bitterness as oak spices carry on to the finale. Water softens the finish pleasantly. Always an enjoyable dram, indeed a very fine one, but one I tend to neglect for some reason. It's a cask-strength batch expression and it definitely changes over time. I've had expressions of this in the past that were quite coconut heavy, and others that were woody. The one I'm reviewing is buttery and fruity. The previous time I tasted it (batch 214E, 60.2%) my journal tells me I thought it was more red-fruit, biscuity and spicy. One thing that all expressions of Nadurra 16 share is that they are very easy to drown, so if adding water do so slowly, drop by drop. The profile does not change very much but if you go too far with the water it suddenly loses all its presence. IMHO you do need to tame it slightly, but I would suggest not taking it too far below 50%abv. It also needs time to sit and develop in the glass, and if adding water give it more time to rest and recover before tasting - it may seem thin and lacking in character after dilution but it will develop sweetness and body again after 10 minutes. Patience is well rewarded with this one. My bottle was AUS$135, but now that it has been discontinued the price has rocketed on the secondaries. "Very Good" : 86/100 (4 stars)

Time for the third and final review of my Nadurra samples from @LeeEvolved This 16 year old single malt is the original version of the Nadurra line. It is matured exclusively in first fill bourbon barrels. The First Fill NAS expression is the replacement for this one. As with the previous ones, this is an all natural presentation. Bottled at cask strength of 55.3% ABV and is non chill filtered and natural color of yellow gold. This is from batch 0114A. Incredibly strong notes of vanilla and toasted coconut on the nose. Heavy bourbon oak, orange marmalade, orange peel/oil and cinnamon. A bit tannic and nutty. Quite sweet smelling as well with marshmallow, barley sugar, toffee, butterscotch and peanut brittle. Fruity flavors of green grapes, pears, melon, apples and a light pineapple. Some honey in there as well with Nila Wafers and more vanilla. A few times I got anise and fennel, but those were very fleeting. The palate opens with peppery bourbon notes with sweet vanilla and oak. Orange peel, apples, pears, coconut and a vague tropical fruitiness. Barley sugar, a bit of a grain alcohol feel and cinnamon red hots. Nila Wafers, graham crackers, toffee, butterscotch and light caramel. The palate pretty much follows the nose here with no surprises lurking. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy and mouth coating. The finish is medium length with vanilla, bourbon, oak and is dry. Vanilla is the dominant theme here, and while it does this well I feel that everything else is taking a backseat and doesn’t shine enough. Maybe it was just an off night for me, but I don’t think this one is better than the NAS version. In fact I believe I enjoyed that one more than this one, despite the 16 year age statement. Still this is well made and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Any one of the Nadurra expressions is worth the time and money. A solid 4. Cheers

Is it wrong to drink whisky for the texture and not the flavor? Nadurra is a rare whisky that challenges us with that question. Nose - Vanilla bomb! Floral notes. Toasted oak. Perhaps a hint of pear. Taste - more vanilla and oak. Take a malt whisky, give it all the notes of a bourbon with that fresh charred barrel and we're here. However this is soft, gentle malt. Giving off some honey and again really faint touches of fruits. So to that question - mouth feel. This is the richest and creamiest whisky I can think off outside of a few bourbons. It's soft alcohol that doesn't over power. I did find the flavor is a bit better with a few drops but it does hurt the mouth feel a bit so a balancing act. 80 bucks after tax. If I find more I will buy more. This is really really good stuff guys. It's a shame they stopped doing age statements. it is however pretty much a one trick pony. It's not a wow bottle or one to save for special occasions. Add in it's about 20 bucks more than most would like for a daily drinking scotch. So 2.5 stars. I can't say you have to have this if you're into bourbon finished scotch, but I think you get a bottle.

Wow, this glass brings me straight to fall. It's like cupping an apple and a pear in either hand and taking big bites out of both, right in the middle of the orchard. Then there's cereal, some oak, and underripe strawberry. Great start. The taste has a bit of a nutmeg and again it's full of pears and apples, but emphasizing the sweeter, riper side of those fruits, which makes this scotch like a liquid fruit tart. Then on top of that, there's coffee, a sweet and salty combination, ginger, oak spices and tannins, and cherry. It finishes with a final rush of orchard fruits, salted caramel, and the heat that I expected given the ABV. For some reason, I hated the new, no age statement Nadurra First Fill. But this one makes up for that. Final note -- this scotch was bottled at cask strength so the proof varied. The one I tried was 60.2%, so on the high end of the spectrum. Thanks to MMMNRice for the sample!