skillerified
Glenlivet 18 Year Batch Reserve
Single Malt — Speyside, Scotland
Reviewed
October 29, 2022 (edited December 27, 2022)
N: Strawberry, peach, pear, caramel, floral notes, maybe some cut grass, mint and other dried herbs. Lots going on and working in a couple different directions. Nice.
P: Caramel, vanilla, strawberry, stone fruit, buttercream, baking spice, fresh bread, some pine, some dried herbs. Smooth, creamy, rich mouthfeel.
F: Baking spice, dash of cinnamon, fruit and the consistent dried herbs from the nose and palate. A savory toasted bread with some earthy notes. Little bit of heat, but not much.
A lovely dram, no doubt, but about par for the age and price. Nothing stands out, good or bad. Wouldn't have a problem grabbing another, but not in any hurry to do so either.
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@cascode Yep, still sounds like sadness. I read somewhere it was to save money. I suppose a little more water in the bottle stretches the barrel that much further. I can imagine it's significant, but really only so much.
@skillerified I believe they dropped the strength to 40% abv at the end of 2019. No idea why - it just happened without announcement but as you said, the package design changed at the same time. It's hard to believe that a distilklery the size of Glenlivet would be running short of 18 year old casks at 43%+ strength so it was probably just a marketing decision. Boo hiss.
@skillerified what a tragedy…to do such a thing to a single malt after all that time in the barrel…
@LouisianaLonghorn I honestly don't know. Didn't realize it was different until I went to write this review. A cursory search suggests it's a rebranding with a drop to 80 proof (from 86). That just sounds like sadness.
Is this the same as their regular 18 year or a special edition?