Glenlivet 12 Year First Fill

It's better than the other 12YO expressions, but don't expect it to blow your mind.

I can’t tell if this is part of their current core range, a discontinued member of that range, or a one-off. I even read somewhere that this is a travel retail exclusive. I bought this at a local store, so I know that not to be the case I unless it’s a recent development. Regardless, this seems a cool variation of a whisky that I used to love but has become mundane over time. Let’s see what the First Fill American Oak does for The Glenlivet. Nose: Apple, pear, apricot, and floral notes. Some golden raisin and apple citrus. White grape. Honey, butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, malt, and caramel. Very standard Glenlivet/Speyside notes. Coconut and almond. Black pepper. Light cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Gala apple, pear, apricot, cranberry, raisin, and orange citrus. Toffee and banana. Vanilla and caramel. Coconut and almond. Butterscotch and honey. Marshmallow. Light lemon/lime citrus. It’s subtle. Maybe even a touch of cherry. The faintest cinnamon and spice. Finish: Vanilla, toffee, caramel, honey, and marshmallow. White grape and golden raisin. Almond. Raisin, dried apricot, and cranberry. Peppercorn. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and oak. Medium length. Definitely an improvement over the standard 12-year. It’s the same flavor profile, just dialed up a bit. It’s a classic Speyside malt. I won’t call this an absolute steal, but it $65, the uptick in quality over the standard 12 is worth the $10 extra bucks. I’ll give this a 3.75/5. Fun release from Glenlivet.

The Glenlivet 12yr old First Fill 43.2% abv.   The Glenlivet is often the go-to scotch when introducing someone to whisky for the first time.  I’ve always enjoyed the standard 12yr old.  The older age stated 16yr old Nadurra was one of the best values going for quite some time…unfortunately those days are gone. When I first came across this one I was pretty excited to see a new take on the 12yr old.  It is age stated, matured only in first fill American oak casks and gets a small bump in abv.  On top of that the price was around $40.  The smell is– bright fresh citrus fruit, vanilla, caramel, orange rind, floral and almond.  Very nice. The taste is quite good a lot of citrus and vanilla, sour citrus with some spice and more vanilla. The finish is short mostly with the spicy orange rind.   I really enjoyed this one. It’s certainly an improvement over the standard 12yr old and the small bump in price is worth it. I would recommend this one all day. I think this plays well to both newbies and veterans of the whisky world.    Overall Grade: B

Decent, a little dry? Lacks the strong flavor I prefer.