Scotch Whisky Review #406: WhiskySponge Edition 57 Glenlivet 14 Year First Fill Sherry Hogshead (2007)

Distillery: Glenlivet.

Bottler: Decadent Drinks/WhiskySponge.

Region: Speyside.

Age: 14 Year. Distilled in 2007. Bottled in 2022.

ABV: 53.0%.

Cask Type: First fill sherry hogshead “from the warehouses of Signatory Vintage”.

Price: Sample courtesy of /u/_asipper.

Color: 1.5, Auburn/Polished Mahogany.

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Nose: Cherry is the major note that sticks out to me here. Wood varnish is the other note that stands out but that’s very weak in comparison to the cherry note.

Palate: It has the very oak forward, caramel, and cherry notes. It’s got a nice mouthfeel at 53% and drinkable. With a splash of water, the oak takes over even stronger. It tastes heavily of varnish and wood polish. A little more water brings out of the chocolate more with cherry and burnt caramel.

Finish: Medium in length. Chocolate and burnt caramel are the main notes with some Christmas spices to wrap things up.

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Conclusion: I’ve never had any of WhiskySponge’s picks before though I’ve heard nothing but good things. Unfortunately, this Glenlivet doesn’t seem to be a great pick from them. I had to do a double take, a triple take even. It smells and tastes very distinctly like a bourbon and nothing like what I would expect a first fill sherry cask Glenlivet would be like. Not particularly impressed here and it certainly isn’t worth the asking price it was at. Pleasant enough to drink, but if you want something to taste like bourbon, go drink a bourbon.

Final Score: 74.

Note: I’ve made some changes to the scoring legend, the descriptions have been updated slightly to match my actual scoring a little better.

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Scotch Whisky Review #406, Speyside Review #149, Whisky Network Review #560

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Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky and I will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection if feasible.
• 85-89: Very good to amazing, almost the complete product and I’m likely wanting a bottle or two.
• 80-84: Quite good, pleasant overall though there is usually a few things that could be improved still.
• 75-79: Good, enjoyable to drink but ultimately flawed.
• 70-74: Alright, solid and 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.