Tastes

​ In the glass it's a nice medium amber color and produces plentiful legs when spun around. Right out of the bottle the nose is pretty harsh, with a strong alcohol burn combined with oak and floral/medicinal notes, not much else. But be patient, this dram will reward it. After about 10-15 minutes in the glass it starts to open up revealing spices and some orange peel. On the palate it's hot at first, no doubt. There is corn sweetness of course but definitely not as much as most bourbons. This has a pretty strong Rye spice and a nice char note. Not much vanilla like most bourbons, just lots of woody spice. It has a thick mouthfeel and a long dry finish that gives more pepper and hints of caramel. This is probably better on the rocks than neat, and makes a killer Manhattan. The value of this bottle adds to its rating. I give it a solid 3.75. Cheers!

​ The nose of this whisky is a little unexpected. I was expecting a strong dose of the famous Islay peat. Instead I got floral heather mixed with brine and some alcohol phenols. Letting it sit in the glass for a while toned down the alcohol and finally brought out the peaty smoke and some light honey-like notes. Really wonderful. On the palate it's really fairly simple: smoky honey sweetness. But this simplicity is extremely well balanced. There are some faint spice notes, but that's about it. The finish of this dram may be its best feature: it's long, warm, and smoky. Peaty smoke rises up through the sinuses as the sweetness fades and the warmth settles into the belly. For whatever reason, this dram warmed me more than other whiskies with much higher ABV. I could absolutely picture myself sitting in front of a roaring fire on a cold winter night with a glass of this and never feeling cold! This is an excellent whisky that balances the sweetness of the highland and speyside malts with the peaty smoke of Islay. If you have never tried an Islay malt because you were leery of the peat, this is the one to try. You will not be disappointed. 3.75. Cheers!

​ Let me start by saying I owe the opportunity to taste this whisky to my brother. He bought this bottle for my Dad's 80th birthday. Only problem is my Dad is not really a whiskey drinker, and definitely not Scotch. This is definitely out of my price range, and after tasting it I'm glad I didn't pay for it. The Glenlivet Archive is a 21 year old expression matured in American oak and ex-Sherry oak casks. It is a beautiful dark amber color that attests to its 21 years in those barrels. There is no statement as to whether or not it is non-chill filtered, and is 43% ABV. Swirling in the glass produces a thick oily coating that produces nice long legs. Upon nosing this dram I immediately got caramel and toasted marshmallow with some toffee notes. After about 15 minutes in the glass it was still the same. I was hoping for more complexity from something this old but it just wasn't there. Maybe the taste would reveal more? In the mouth it has more of the same. Strong toffee sweetness with some oak notes. Others might pick up some other flavors but I couldn't. Just that overpowering sweetness. The finish finally produced something other than the caramel/toffee flavors, being fairly long and much drier with some peppery oak tones. This is a very good whisky, but considering the $110+ price tag, I can't recommend it very much. I've had better whiskies at half the price. Maybe not "better", but more complex and intriguing. I appreciate the chance to taste it, but I won't be saving up to buy a bottle. 3.5. Cheers!

In the glass it is a beautiful dark amber color and leaves a thick, oily coating that is slow to develop legs. The nose on this whisky is probably its best feature, being a heavenly mixture of dark fruits, floral notes, baking spices, and mint. The official tasting notes mention dark chocolate, but I was only able to discern them faintly after letting the spirit sit in the glass for a while. On the palate the first flavor that hit me was oak, quickly followed by sweet oranges. Water did little to affect the taste other than to tame the slight alcohol burn. It has a velvety mouth feel which is very nice, coating the tongue and mouth wonderfully. Eventually I got some of the chocolate notes but it took a while. The finish is long, dry, and peppery with more oak. It lingers just long enough to leave you wanting more. I think I paid about $65 for this bottle and I would consider that a reasonable price for this whisky. This is a quality dram with a complex profile that is very enjoyable.