Whisky Review: A Pair of Glenlivet

Neither quite hits the mark, but respectable, if simple malts.

Glenlivet 15 Year Sherry Cask / 40%

Tasted neat

This is a Taiwan exclusive 15 year OB Glenlivet, matured in ex-Oloroso sherry casks and bottled at 40% ABV.

• Color: burnt umber (1.7)
• Nose: pine sap, spice, cough syrup, icing sugar, cinnamon
• Taste: thin sherry, leather, honey, mint, and raisins
• Finish: fleeting

Inoffensive but lacking complexity, much like the other 13 year old Taiwan exclusive sherry cask Glenlivet, I would save my money for something cask strength in the future.

Rating: 76/100

Glenlivet Nadurra OLO615 / 60.3%

Tasted neat / with a drop of water

This is a first-fill ex-Oloroso NAS from Glenlivet, batch number OLO615 in the long running Nadurra (natural) series. It is fortunately bottled at cask strength and with natural color and no chill-filtration.

• Color: chestnut (1.2)
• Nose: sour cream, burnt plastic, green grapes; industrial solvents
• Taste: molasses, some sulphur, vanilla; tea-tree oil, croissants
• Finish: medium; strawberry icecream

This has a nice punch to it, but it’s quite young, more like “sherry flavoured” than Oloroso matured. That said, it remains truer to Glenlivet’s lighter, fruity style to still be enjoyable.

Rating: 79/100