Glenlivet Code

Let’s get one thing out in the open from jump street: I HATE BLACK BOTTLES. Hate them, with a passion. I also hate deception. For that reason, I’m not a fan of this whisky. WARNING: If you aren’t in the mood to read about a grown-ass man whining like your local politician at a debate over a border wall- skip this review. Still here? Cool, let’s proceed. Glenlivet Code is this year’s mystery bottle that cons you out of $120. Glenlivet released Alpha and Cipher in 2016 & 2017, respectively. They had the same principle: don’t tell people what’s inside age-wise, cask matured-wise, finishing-wise. Nothing. Let them pay to drink it and take guesses. They even promised to tell us whats inside by the end of 2018. Guess what- they still haven’t said a word. I think they hoped we forgot to ask. Personally, I don’t care what’s inside. But, here’s what I tasted: Glenlivet took some subpar Nadurra First Fill cask whisky, some subpar Nadurra Oloroso cask whisky and maybe some Founder’s Reserve, blended them equal parts and then added water to dilute it to 48%. Then they put it in a f#%*king BLACK BOTTLE so you couldn’t see it sitting on the shelf, slapped a $120+ price tag on it and shipped it out. Then they asked if you could decipher the Code. (Several deep breaths later) It’s sunset gold in the tasting glass with fat, undefined legs and appears more watery than oily. Big drops left behind. The nose is fresh oak, vanilla and sherry infused with cinnamon and light citrus rinds. There’s some faint oak here, as well, but I think it’s tied to the peppery note rounding things out. The palate is peppered by young and lively spirit. The sherry comes through around mid sip and mingles with apples and pears before being overpowered by spice and harsh alcohol notes. There’s no complexity, it’s just an abrasive mess. The finish is hot and spicy but short, with some sherry sweetness lingering and fighting back the dry oak tannins and ABV astringency. (More deep breaths) So, in effect, I’ll take a shot and guess that this is a big ole con job by Glenlivet. This is watered down stuff that should’ve aged a little while longer and turned into something for the Nadurra line. There’s flashes of greatness, but it feels like a failure of the sum of all its parts. They tasted single casks for Nadurra and these reject casks were blended together and turned into deception. That’s what they should’ve called this...Glenlivet DECEPTION. Buy something from the Nadurra line for $75-80 and spend the other $40 on a Compass Box blend and you’ll end up with 2 great bottles instead of 1 bad one. 2 stars with .5 star deducted for a bad price point and the stupid, black bottle. (Put on a happy face...) Cheers, my friends.

Beautiful story, beautiful bottle, delicious Whisky. The Glenlivet code is a tribute to Alan Turing who cracked the Nazi code in world war ii, and there is this great movie about it. It is not only a whisky, it is a game. You are supposed to guess the tasting notes, and then you have to go online using the Shazaam App to put the aroma and tasting notes and they give you your score. Its actually super fun, specially with a group of friends and it is also very challenging, and that makes you drink a lot more than one dram. (And the bottle is heavy and black, so you actually dont know hoe much you have drank). Bottled at 48%abv, tawny color. Ok, lets do this. FOR ME this was all about, Cinnamon, Red Apples and Vanilla Cookies on the nose. Actually pretty powerful aroma for a glenlivet. On the palate it was very fruity, Oranges, plums, cherries, and super powerful spicyness, full of Ginger. When me and my friends put all this (it was more than less a consensus) we got the first time 17%, the second 30% and the third time 38%. ALL THE NOTES ARE POSIBILITIES IN THE APP, SO WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE AROMA AND TASTING NOTES BUT, there is a very difficult part of the game and that is the INTENSITY of the notes. You can pick over mild, medium or intense and that is where we have failed (at least we think so). The game is great, the experience is great, the whisky is great. I truly recommend it, for me it was a solid 87 over 100, but the whole experience deserved a 100. Slainte!

I don’t mind the concept of a dark bottle marketing some horse shit mystery content...but at least then deliver on the goods. Without delivering, it’s just marketing horse shit. Hell, I even applaud them for the extra distance in creating an app where you can scan the bottle’s code, and be virtually taken to an underground room where you meet the master distiller. You then go about trying to decipher the flavors...hence the name Code. Only if they used that app development effort into making a better whisky. If I want to play virtual reality, I’m heading to Microsoft or Sony. After all you don’t see me going to Microsoft expecting great whisky. I was looking forward to this one ( generously sent by my buddy @LeeEvolved ), namely because I guess my expectations were higher considering the price tag ( approx $120). Clearly sherry backbone; red bell pepper, slightly oily. Looks like maybe some wine finishing. Not red, since I’m not getting the tannins, but maybe white wine finishing...getting floral notes . Moscatel maybe. I’m guessing this is a 10-12 yr old, some sherry maturation and finishing in moscatel. Damn it...did I just unknowingly play their freakin Code game? Not really badly made, just overpriced...I’m sure the app developers were expensive. At $120, about $40 too much.

Not very pleasant at all, and I'm not sure what else there is to say. The palate is heavily astringent with big notes of stone fruit pits and virgin-oak-esque vanilla, but these aren't flavors that "pop" - they just remain in the background while your tongue is overwhelmed by loads of tannins and metallic alcohol. The sad part is that Glenlivet (especially when they charge $110+ a bottle) can do really amazing stuff, and while this was a fun little attempt at a novelty NAS, I can't help but feel like the diatillery came up with this as a means to get rid of a surplus of subpar casks not compatible with the style of their core lineup. I sincerely hope, however, that this is not the case.

Oak, caramel, and a light peat. A touch oily on the palate with hints of allspice. Buttery and rich. Extravagant and left you excitedly seeking the next sip. Wonderful overall. I absolutely loved this Scotch. One of the best I've tried in recent memory and thoroughly enjoy that it isn't unGodly expensive. I plan on purchasing a bottle for myself as soon as I can find it.

Blind tasting Nose: rich, mild, some cherry notes Taste: sherry wood, a bit spicy, maybe a bit on the younger side. A little banana maybe. Not too complex, could be smoother. Wood: sherry, maybe a little bourbon but emphasis on the sherry. Could it be a single barrel? Distillery? * Highlands * American distillery