Scotch Whisky Review #127: Glenlivet 12 Year Unblended All Malt (1970s Bottling)

Photo Credit to Whisky Auctioneer

Distillery: Glenlivet

Region: Speyside

Price: $7 for a 2 Oz sample

ABV: 43%

Age: 12 Year

Color: 1.1, Burnished.

This is the second in my Countdown to Christmas series where I’ll be posting a review a day until Christmas. You can find the entire series here.

Nose: (according to the wife) Oh it smells lovely! It’s a mix of fresh pineapple slices, brown sugar, and champagne. Seems like it will be nice and sweet.

Palate: Incredibly full and smooth mouthfeel. This isn’t a flavor bomb but rather one with more subtle layers of complexity to pick apart. There are layers of fruit in an apple medley and a bit of honeydew melon. Vanilla, honey, and brown sugar notes are also present. Really lovely.

Finish: Rather long. There’s a hint of oak spice along with vanilla and the tiniest bit of leather. The longest lasting note though is a bit of honeydew melon. Every few sips, I did get a little bit of an ethanol-like note but it was far from ever present.

Conclusion: Yesterday, I reviewed the more modern Glenlivet 12 Year and today I’ve had one from long ago. The difference between the two is incredibly striking. The modern day Glenlivet 12 is decently made but rather bland. This older one is quite the treat. It starts off with a lovely and inviting nose. The palate is full of all of these lovely flavors that just go so well together. The finish is fantastic minus that little bit of ethanol every so often. I’m not sure where Glenlivet lost their way but if they were to release something that tasted like this again, I’d be drinking it all the time. Would I buy a bottle? If I can find one, absolutely.

Final Score: 84.

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Scotch Whisky review #127, Speyside Whiskey Review #48, Whisky Network Review #168, Christmas Countdown 2019 #2

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection (if feasible).
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.