PBMichiganWolverine
Glenlivet 12 Year Double Oak
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
July 16, 2015 (edited May 22, 2020)
It's quite basic...and actually a really good intro for the newly initiated into single malts. There's not much going in terms of complexity, but then again...it probably doesn't need to. At this point, after having had the likes of Talisker, Highland Park, some of the Balvenies, Karuizawas, and Yamazaki's, I'd rank this squarely as a two or three star. But, this was my first, and was so simple and gentle, it then assured me quietly to go into more complex single malts. I then felt gutsy enough to try a Jura. Then a Talisker. Then an Ardbeg. My journey would've come to a dead halt if I started with the likes of an Ardbeg or Lagavulin. So...something like this is perfect for the folks interested in trying what a single malt has to offer. ( A friend of mine actually had her first single malt as Lagavulin 16. That was also her last time she ever tried a single malt.)
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I think the first malt you have on your journey, will always be worth to remember. Oddly enough, I also started with Lagavulin 16 and 'it worked'. The magic of a peated malt was overwhelming. Sure, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are boring (from the perspective of the experienced malt drinker) - but they remain decent beginner malts and a welcome alternative at a bar or hotel, when choice is limited.
Another great review. Glenlivet 12 does the job. Good entry level Scotch.
For a modest price and pretty good peaty----let's see...I'd say Compass Box Peat Monster (about $60 ) is the first one that comes to mind. Another good one is Bruichladdich The Laddie 10, about $55. Of course, the benchmarks are always there---Talisker 10, Laga 16, and Laphroaig 10--all about $70-80. Another type of smoky, but not from peat, rather charcoal, would be Yoichi 10 or 15 (now, it's quite expensive I think). I just bought one recently that I'm going to try---Wolfburn. It's a new distillery. A 3 year old from Islands, made by maturing in heavily peated casks. It's about $50. Really well made from what I've read so far
Pranay: I had been reading "Tasting Whiskey" by Lew Bryson and kinda developed the idea that appreciating a good peaty scotch was the point of all this. So I was primed and ready. And it went down so easy! So you've tasted a lot of whiskers and from your notes our tastes are fairly similar, what do recommend for a nice peaty scotch in the $$ price range?
GeologyJack: I'm impressed! For a first malt, Lagavulin is hard to take down. It took me a full year of having speysides and highlanders before I was able to truly enjoy an Islay.
My first prayed single malt was also the Lavagulin but fortunately I had the opposite reaction - I want more, I want more! But UNfortunately, my wallet directs me to a lower shelf most of the time.