Glenlivet Nàdurra First Fill Selection

Almost buttery to start, bursting into an array of sweet flavors that fade into a spicy lingering heat.

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

Smokey, light, with a bite. Easier to drink with a few drops of water