Okay seriously, we’ll have an actual review of Glenlevit 12 Yr soon. We always seem to forget it’s never been reviewed on this site until we do something like this – an offshoot – and then try to compare it scorewise to the standard outing. What we have here is some scotch, but finishes it’s aging instead in a rum cask. The effect is certainly something that has more rum elements, but does that make it better?
No. If honest the rum flavorings here sort of spoil the whiskey a bit, and it’s not helped along by failing to be calm and smooth. For most readers you can likely see what this is – an experiment. What you should also see though is that sometimes it’s not worth buying an experiment especially if the price isn’t right.
What they Say: “Box Front: In 1824, George Smith established his distillery in he remote and wild valley of Glenlevit. Ever since, his smooth flowing whisky has been regarded as the definitive single malt scotch whisky.
The Glenlivet has always been about moving forward and not remaining still. From establishing our distillery in a very remote valley in 1824 to continuously setting new standards. We are now going beyond the rugged scottish highlands to discover new influences to complement our smooth & fruity house style.
Caribbean Reserve is a sweet, tropical twist to the Glenlivet. To create this lively whisky, our makers finished a portion of the whisky in barrels which previously held Caribbean Rum. The result is a smooth, sweet whisky. Perfect to enjoy with a refreshing mixer or neat, just the way you like it.
- Nose: Sweet notes of pear and red apple meet a fabulous tropical twist of ripe bananas in syrup
- Palate: Rich caramel toffee notes are followed by mandarin orange, vanilla and honeydew melon. Well-balanced and exceptionally smooth
- Finish: Citrusy & delicate”
Taste: 4.0 – The caramel and orange combo is there, but it’s almost burnt if you ask us.
Aftertaste: 3.0 – A flavor that lingers long after, but doesn’t exactly get better. If you burp later you weirdly get an almost coconut flavor.
Burn/Smooth: 4.5 – “exceptionally smooth” (This claim is disputed). It’s not the worst, but smooth ain’t the first word to mind.
Aroma: 6.5 – That does just smell like a collection of fruit and caramel. If there’s one that stands out it’s certainly that banana. It’s just not an easy win though to say this is desirable, but it’s pleasant.
Honesty: 4.0 – Can’t blame them for trying, but we can for the result. Delicate and exceptionally smooth though is the grit in the oil of this machine, and must be penalized accordingly
Mixability: 4.5
W/ Rocks: 4.5 – It sands (c’mon we had to get wordplay somehow) off the rough edges, but it’s also lost all of the fruit flavor aside from a bit of banana – is it better? Yes. Is it a good rocks scotch? No.
Value: 2.0 – No way. Sorry but while we are always down to buy a new expression, an experiment, and more – you the dear reader should not. This was an interesting take, but it’s not worth your money.
Google Shop Average: $40
Website: http://www.theglenlivet.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 3.5
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Metric Score: 28.5/70 |+| Metric Average: 4.07 |+| Reviewer Average: 3.5
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Final Thoughts: Overall it’s not something really great, but despite that it feels wrong to knock it down too far. It’s not painstakingly awful, and despite some outright lies about being smooth they mostly have here something unique, but something that simply didn’t work. Add a forty dollar price tag and while it’s fine for us to take a chance, we’d advise you to stick to the standard Livet, or possibly the 15 yr instead.
