LeeEvolved
Reviewed
August 16, 2017 (edited September 10, 2020)
I saved this exciting distillery tour sample from Paul as one of my last ones for the second round. I've tried a couple of the Nadurra offerings and I found them to be the best of the entire Glenlivet line. I had really high hopes for the peated cask version.
This malt is extremely light in color- it's as pale as an ice cold Coors Light. Due to the high ABV (61.5%) there are a ton of slick, long legs in the glass when you spin it. Even from a distance you pick up on the oak barrel and sweet citrus notes. One of the highlights of this sample, though, came when I was finally (after 25min) able to pick up on what I assume was agave nectar- very tequila-like. It was very strong and inviting.
Sadly, no agave on the palate. Just an initial blast of serious heat and an incredible burn. This beast is very hot. If you can expel the heat from your mouth and not through the nose a nice, crispy bit of citrus fruit like oranges and lemons appears and finishes sizzling your taste buds. Hot, but refreshing. It dies pretty quickly and leaves a dry, oak spice residue in the recesses of your mouth.
The finish is again short, but really hot. It felt like I completely burned the nerve endings in my mouth, but that faded and the dry, earthiness (peat?) completed the experience. If you've had any of the Nadurra whiskies you know what to expect and this one is no different. Good stuff.
While I don't feel like there's enough peat flavor here to warrant experimenting with those ex-peated casks again, the overall quality of the Nadurra line is still present here and makes for a very fine whisky. Thanks again to Paul for finding this one in a duty free shop near him. I wouldn't have been able to try this one otherwise. 4.25-4.5 stars. Cheers.