Before the summer break, our Nurnberg Whisky Explorers group held an evening devoted to special “Glens” – not your ordinary every day “Glens” but the “top shelf” variety!
I generally think I’m not very snobbish about my single malt. Yes I prefer quality but I’ve also been known to enjoy a value for money dram too! When it comes to Glenlivet, I’ve mostly experienced the standard fare with the occasional exception mixed in for good measure. So when this bottle was offered for our special Glens evening, I was curious but had no big expectations.
Glenlivet 17 year (15/08/2006 – 21/11/2023) 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Butt, Cask No 900806 62.3% (Signatory Vintage) Bottle 74 of 599 ~Eur 128.50
- Colour – Dark gold
- Nose – Mmmmm fruity! Followed by wet leaves after a heavy rain, quite mellow, sweet with a medium dark wildflower honey, a warm perfume shifting into dark plums combining fresh forest scents – marvelous! The longer we contemplated the nose, the more it evolved – dark fruits, chocolate, and behind the berries was a citrus twist! Then toast with marmite…
- Palate – Wow! Sherry and how! Strong and full, with real substance… rolling around, it built on the aromas with a combination of dark fruits and mocha
- Finish – Long and really incredibly satisfying
Overall we were impressed. The aroma without water had a beautiful evolution from light to dark, inviting and enticing us to give it more and more time to open up. Whereas on the palate, there was no mystery! It was clear that we were sipping a 1st fill Sherry – more intense, flavourful, and forceful than anticipated from the nose alone… however, this should be expected at a powerful 62.3% ABV! One person described the palate as crashing waves (brandung)!
This is not a lightweight and yet also has some serious highlights too! So we were curious, what about the impact of adding some water? It was like having two whiskies in one!
- Nose – Malty and citrus, ground coffee and dates, resin and English marmalade
- Palate – Much more approachable but in some ways not quite as interesting
- Finish – Remains with a hint of red licorice joining
We set this whisky aside and revisited to find the one with water had clearly veered towards the sweet side – candied apple, bubblegum, marshmallow, pear – delicious!
Alas I could not find any official tasting notes from Signatory – this particular edition was from an earlier batch than currently available. Suffice to say, it was indeed a 1st fill Sherry Butt and truly an unexpected treat.
A clear reminder – do not underestimate the big boys! They are big for a reason and equally have a prodigious range of casks – so no surprise there are gems to be found.
What else did we try in our special Glens-themed evening?
- A revisit of Chorlton’s Glentauchers 8 year and 14 year
- Glenburgie 26 year (1995 – 27/04/2022) 1st Fill Oloroso Sherry Puncheon Cask No 6349, Batch 22/090 56.8% (Gordon & MacPhail Connoisseurs Choice) 564 Bottles
Curious about other Glenlivet tasting experiences? Read on…
- 10 year (2007/2018) 1st Fill Sherry Cask#900214 Batch #2 64.1% (LMdW Artist #8)
- 12 year 40%
- 14 year (2003/2018) 56.5% (G&MP)
- 15 year 40%
- 18 year 43%
- 19 year (1995/2015) Sherry CS No 16695 58.1% (Signatory)
- 21 year 43%
- Master Distiller’s Reserve 40%, May’17 + Feb’23
- Master Distiller’s Reserve Solera Vatted 40%
- Master Distiller’s Reserve Small Batch 40%
- Nàdurra
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