Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Selection

Over the toy piles and through the basement to my whisky stash I go... Yes on this Christmas Day I decided to raid my sample stock pile and I found this Glenlivet that I have had in the waiting for over a year (based on the pour date that @LeeEvolved had written on the label). The Nadurra line from Glenlivet, for those who are unaware, are Batch strength offerings that are natural color and non chill filtered and usually feature a special cask treatment. I had one a few years back that was matured in casks that had previously held heavily peated whisky. This is the First Fill Selection, where all casks in the batch were first fill (all bourbon I believe). Bottled at 59.8% ABV and as I stated before it is non chill filtered and natural color of pale straw. This is from batch 0115. The nose is very light and delicate at first, even after giving it 10 minutes in the glass. It starts with light but satisfying oak, but then a lovely vanilla and honey come in to greet you. It turns quite sweet with crème brûlée, caramelized sugar, ripe bananas and powdered sugar. Baked apples & pears with a light dusting of cinnamon. If not for a slightly malty presence I could be fooled into believing this was a well made grain whisky. A candied lemon citrus note, hazelnut and the barest hint of chocolate. Green grapes and more powdered sugar. It certainly did not nose like a whisky on the cusp of 60% ABV, though I could absolutely tell that good casks were being used. The palate shows nowhere near the intensity the ABV would suggest, but instead has a nice oaky presence followed by honey, vanilla and coconut. Some light bourbon notes with toasted oak and barrel char. Honeyed apples, bananas, and a spice that builds and builds the more you drink it, like eating hot pepper after pepper. The first one isn’t so bad but by the 5th one you are sweating and begging for relief. Well maybe not that bad, but I digress. Toffee, very light butterscotch and cinnamon. An indistinct amalgamation of tropical and citrus fruits, pineapple being the most dominant of the flavors. Sweet, but not nearly as much as on the nose. A medium bodied mouthfeel that is creamy, mouth coating and dry. The finish is long, sweet/sugary, vanilla, oak, toffee and dry. The dry feeling was quite odd and made me take notice. For about an hour after I finished this sample there was a dry spot under my tongue on the left side that was very distracting. Not sure anyone else has ever had that happen, but it sure was weird. While not terribly complex, this single malt was thoroughly enjoyable. This is the first cask/batch strength whisky I’ve had that I would consider a true dessert dram. It’s really too bad that Glenlivet doesn’t do more in the way of cask strength expressions, because the ones I’ve had have been quite good and I feel their spirit works well at higher strength. 4.25 Cheers and Merry Christmas

The Glenlivet Nadurra line, which translates as “natural”, has many variations on that theme. This particular bottling claims to contain whisky that has been aged in first fill, American White Oak barrels. This bottle was from Batch 0115, which signifies it was filled in January of 2015. The Nadurra aspect indicates it is natural in color and isn’t chill filtered. It’s bottled at 59.8%. It’s light gold in color, oily while not offering up any leg action and only leaving tiny beads behind around the rim of the tasting glass. The nose is a bit closed off at first and I had to wait it out for 20-25 minutes. Once it relaxed I got tons of orchard fruits, vanilla and cereal grains. There’s an oaky and nutty backbone fighting against the hot alcohol notes. The palate has a nice tropical fruit and citrus introduction. Cinnamon candies belies a refreshing sweetness while being slightly sugary. Light oak keeps the mouthfeel from coming off as too oily. It’s also not as hot as I expected from a 60% ABV. The finish is medium in length and surprisingly fruity. The sweetness holds up very well against the lingering heat from the high proof. It actually leaves behind a mouthwatering feel that encourages you to go in for more- and that’s a dangerous proposition considering this is a very high ABV cask strength offering. Overall, I loved it. I’ve had lots of Glenlivet’s core stuff and I gotta say that I could probably skip them all and just stick with the Nadurra line. The whisky really shines here. The Oloroso Nadurra and Peated Cask Nadurra were also great drams. This is no different. I believe you can also find these bottles for $75-85 and that’s a decent deal for what you’re getting, even without an age statement. Buy with confidence. 4.5 stars. Cheers, my friends.

I was surprised with some of the mediocre reviews of batch 0115. I just tried my bottle of batch 1115 (November 2015 instead of January) at 59.6% ABV and it is anything but mediocre. I had been wanting to try a first fill or cask strength for a while and this checked both of the list at once so I had to try it. After first sip, I knew I would be savoring this bottle. I was very surprised at how light in color this is, probably now the lightest in my collection, and how hidden the ABV was on the nose. The nose was mainly sweet and citrusy with light vanilla. The palate was nice and oily and that’s where the fruits really came through. I first tried this without adding any water and didn’t think it was overpowering at all, just had a nice warming feeling. I then added some water and it did open up the flavors a little more. The last sip I tried was probably the best. It had been sitting out for about 20 minutes or so and next time I will wait it out. That is when I got a little bit of the banana and other more tropical flavors that were lacking in the first couple sips. The finish was longer than I was expecting based on other reviews but not the longest either. Overall, I am ecstatic that I bought this bottle and it is high up on my list of favorites. To me, it was a lot like Glenmorangie Nectar D’or and if you like this one or that one, I highly recommend you try the other!

Tried this one at a restaurant last night (a $23 pour, thank the Lord my miserly self had gotten a Groupon with a 70% discount). Having it made me long for the days when there was a 16-year version--now that I would have liked to experience. This bottle was disappointing, and if I had to guess, I'd say there's a lot of scotch mixed in here that hasn't even hit double digits in age now. The palate and nose both felt quite closed off to me, disclosing few distinct notes other than a bright, confectioner's sugar. After a few sips I finally hit the distillery's signature apple note, which made me feel like I'd finally arrived at the house of Glenlivet--albeit after an unremarkable journey. There is a lot of burn--not quite a pleasant warming heat, really more of a burn--on the back end, although it does resolve to some spice notes that are a little bit reminiscent of Balvenie Caribbean Cask (but harsher here). The strange thing about the finish is it felt like the finish from a younger bourbon, hollowed out of some of bourbon's pleasant caramel and oak richness. This one's worth trying, and it's not a bad scotch by any means, but it did not suit my palate.

Batch No. FF0115 Bottled 01/15 at 59.8% Sharp ABV Nip on first contact, but that Glenlivet DNA shines through. Water tames the aggressive notes and after some time the vanilla and baking spices are revealed. Finish is long and spicy. If you are a Glenlivet fan you will enjoy this. If you are not familiar with Glenlivet you will probably find this dram sharp, hot and abrasive.

Batch FF0117 @ 59.1% Nose: Buttery with notes of almond and sultana, pear and iodine. Palate: Creamy and soft, lots of wood and white chocolate. Finish: Salty with a sharp burn. A few good drops of water softens the tingly burn on the finish but doesn’t get rid of the salty medicinal end. Beautiful whisky except for the finish.