Glenlivet 15

My first experience of Glenlivet 15 was Winter 2017 where I was kindly given a bottle of this and Grant’s Rum Cask Finish Whisky. Fortunately being “the person who likes whisky” really paid off with two good bottles being added to my small collection.

Popping the cork in the kitchen with family and friends round (the good old days before Covid) myself and two others quickly sipped down our glasses before heading out. This was a real eye opener for me, as this was the dram where the flavours just clicked. Throughout that night all I could think about was, woah I can taste hazelnuts from a glass of Whisky.

Experience

Glenlivet’s branding to me is truly under rated with the story behind the brilliantly subtle yet complex icon of the Packhorse Bride over the River Livet. While to the uninitiated this falls in with all the other “Glens” that you sometimes see on supermarket shelves, this stamp could be my favourite. You can read more about the story of their 2015 rebrand on the Drum website.

Due to the huge quantities produced they use caramel colouring for consistency giving it the classic golden colour of Whisky.

With the striving to be number 1, Glenlivet uses chill filtering across most of their bottlings to prevent any haze forming in the bottle, especially at the 40% ABV.

Nose

The aroma is soft and subtle with a mixture of vanilla fudge and sappy wood. This is a glass full of mixed nuts and some dried fruits.

Taste

The rich, creamy taste is like brown bread completely smeared with almond butter. A really pleasant good finish that is dark chocolate and loving warming spice.

Value for Money

A great value bottle which holds it’s own with the big boys. I picked this up at £38 on offer and it normally does go for a discounted rate. Full price you are looking at around £50 on online retailers such as Master of Malt and The Whisky Exchange but may have better luck in your local supermarket.