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A good introduction

For the details…

Few distilleries have the mystique and the pull of Glenlivet. There seems to have been illicit distilling in the vicinity from at least 1774, when Andrew Smith began running stills at Upper Drumin. His son George inherited the concern in 1817, and was one of the first on what is now Speyside to take out a license after the passage of the Excise Act. His decision to go legal was unpopular enough with his former bootlegging colleagues that the junior Smith was forced to carry a brace of pistols wherever he went.

Although the original Upper Drumin site burned down in 1858, the dauntless Smith had a new distillery at the current location up and running by the following year.

Glenlivet quickly built a reputation as an extraordinarily high quality whisky, so much so that most distilleries across Speyside began appending “Glenlivet” to their name in an effort to cash in on the original distillery’s high reputation. This led to Glenlivet successfully petitioning to be the only distillery allowed to call themselves “The Glenlivet,” which has been how the brand has been identified ever since.

For many years, Glenlivet continued under the ownership of George Smith’s descendents; it wasn’t until 1978 that Canadian drinks giant Seagram purchased a controlling stake. When Seagram collapsed in 2001, its assets in Scotch whisky were divided between the two most dominant firms in the industry, Britain’s Diageo and Chivas Bros, the Scotch whisky arm of French drinks firm Pernod Ricard. Glenlivet ended up with Pernod, and is still under their ownership.

Even at the height of the blended Scotch boom, at least some Glenlivet has always been available as a single malt, including outside of Scotland. To this day, it remains one of the leading single malt brands, and it is many people’s introduction to the category.

The flagship Glenlivet is the 12 year old, a whisky that exemplifies a light, easy-going, fruit forward style that has come to be synonymous with Speyside whisky. There is even some evidence that Glenlivet’s lightness and fruitiness may date to George Smith’s tenure. Below, I review two iterations of the iconic 12 year old, one dating to the mid-late aughts, the other from the last couple of years.

The Glenlivet 12 year old 40% abv, bottled 2000s

Nose: Sweetness, baked apples, whiff of malt character, appetizing.

Body: Light to medium.

Palate: Slight woody, oak bitterness; fruity sweetness (apples and pears) quickly wins out; a bit elusive; apples. Interesting!

Finish: A whiff of smoke, elements of the palate fade.

Score: 76/100

Bottling Information: 

Expression: The Glenlivet 12 year old 40% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: Core

Bottle Code: n/a

Presentation: Unspecified

Details: n/a

Price: $25

Availability: The current version is widespread. This version was widespread.

The Glenlivet 12 year old 40% abv, bottled 2020s

Nose: Very fruity–ripe apple and lots of carmelized sugar. There’s some faint tropical fruit underneath too. Fresh baked apple pie and light spice. Integrated.

Body: Medium, soft.

Palate: Sugary, fruity, and very lightly spicy. More apple pie with a glazed crust. Underneath, there is a base of barley malt, and there’s a bit of orange peel in the mix, too.

Finish: Short to medium, brown sugar, becoming drier and slightly more bitter.

Score: 74/100

Who should buy it?: Scotch newbies, and those who don’t want to have their tastebuds challenged too much. 

Overall thoughts: It’s fine. The core Glenlivet 12 is a big step up from most common blends, and it stands up well against peer single malts such as Glenfiddich 12 and Glenmorangie 10. On the other hand, it’s a step down if you’re accustomed to a wide variety of single malts, especially those presented naturally. When I first started drinking single malt, it was pretty easy to buy Glenlivet for right around $20 for a bottle. At that price, it was a steal. In more recent years, it climbed to $25 or $30, which was still an excellent bang for your buck. Recently, it has typically run more around $35-40 per bottle, which is really starting to be a stretch for the quality.

Bottling Information:

Expression: The Glenlivet 12 year old 40% abv

Bottler: Proprietor

Range: Core

Bottle Code: LK ZS 5590 2022/08/15 20:03

Presentation: Unspecified

Details: n/a

Price: $40

Availability: Widespread

Distillery Information:

Region: Speyside

Location: Glenlivet, Morayshire

Geography: Inland

Date Founded: 1824

Owner: Pernod-Ricard

Website: https://www.theglenlivet.com/en-US/

Capacity: 10,500,000

Plant Summary: MASH TUN: Briggs full Lauter; WASHBACKS: 16 Wood; STILLS: 14; HEAT SOURCE: Steam; CONDENSER: Shell and Tube

Total expressions sampled: 3

Overall distillery score: B

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