Glenlivet 18 Year

Before getting into a review that may come across as harsh, let’s make one thing clear...this is a good scotch. Fruity, sweet, vanilla, a hint of smoke, slight oak spice. Pretty much checks all the boxes (except peat that I can tell) of what we all typically enjoy in a scotch. Perhaps that’s my gripe, it seems too artificial, too manufactured. An assembly line whisky. The barley probably never saw Scottish soil, no chance of floor malting, likely chill-filtered, looks like coloring added. All that is fine as long as you know what you’re getting - appeal to the masses. Rating: 90 per Distiller is 5pts too high for me. Enjoyable and I will undoubtedly drink this again but there are 10 year whiskys more complex than this 18 year old. At $86, you might not be disappointed but for me there are others in that range I’d rather see on my shelf.