Some rarities from The Glenlivet and Linn House
An independent retailer is a rare sight in the Dutch liquor store landscape. Most of them have attached their name to one of the big retail chains. Both ways have their pros and cons, I am sure. My local store is one of those independents, which gives him a lot of freedom to create his own assortment. Apparently, it also comes with some treats, like a trip to some Pernod Ricard owned distilleries. All of a sudden, on social media, I saw my local retailer board a plane, visit Strathisla and appear in full Scottish attire to attend a haggis ceremony. He brought back some goodies from Scotland too, that he was kind enough to share with me for this blog. One of them is an hyper exclusive bottling only for the guests of Linn House. This is a Chivas Brothers’ owned guest house and whisky retreat. Find more information here. The special bottling that is offered to guests of this whisky retreat, I can also taste now, for which I am thankful. It is a privilege, André, thank you! First we warm up with a distillery exclusive from The Glenlivet Distillery.
The Glenlivet 15 years old, First Fill Sherry, bottled at 48 % abv
First things first: This one is so rare, that I could not even find a Whiskybase entry for it. Luckily, we got a picture! This is a distillery exclusive bottling of The Glenlivet at an impressive 15 years of age, and a decent abv. Matured in sherry casks is all we read on the label.
Upon Sipping: The colour is a light bronze, so it is not drowned in sherry, judging by appearance. Nosing it gives another impression though, because it is rich in red fruit, Mediterranean spices and wet wood in an traditional dunnage warehouse. When enriched with sherry, The Glenlivet can become almost unbeatable. The taste is surprisingly sweet, making me wonder if some PX-casks were used in the composition, but the finish takes that train of thought into the rail yard. Upon swallowing, there is a truly rough and spicy sendoff, which leaves a lingering chocolatey vibe. With water, a slight hint of sulphur breathes out of the glass, before it turns towards more orange and yellow fruit, like peaches, apricot and apple mousse. The sweet attack on the palate is heightened and there is a more broad fruitiness now too, with some sour apples and juicy pear for balance. The finish remains the edgy part of this distillery exclusive Glenlivet, with dark chocolate notes ever increasing when given time in the glass.
Word to the Wise: If you are a fan of the entry level Glenlivet bottlings, with the 12 years old and the various (exotic) cask editions, this Glenlivet at 15 years old is worth making the trip to Scotland for.
It is really a step up, and has a nice relationship to the classic 15 years old French Oak version. With the higher abv and more sherry forward cask influence, this is the superior one of the “15s”.
Score: 87 points.
Linn House Reserve 26 years old, batch 002, bottled at 52,3 % bv
First things first: A blended Scotch especially bottled for guests of Linn House in Speyside. The age of the youngest whisky in this expression is 26 years. Impressive age! Leftover stock for a Chivas Regal special perhaps? Or old Ballentine’s? Who knows, let us taste this rare whisky!
Upon Sipping: Opens with soft citrus notes and gummy bears that you have left out on the table for too long. Sticky business and a mix of lemon, banana, peach and strawberry. When given time to breathe, more exuberant notes appears, slowly leaning to more tropical notes. This is the joy of artful blending, you can take your pick of a favourite flavour, just like with a real bag of gummy bears. I always find myself eating the red ones first. How about you? Ironically, this Linn House blend feels like getting the yellow and pale light ones. The syrupy taste is much more infused with rich fruits, with papaya, mango and a slightly fierce banana to the foreground. More down the line, and on the finish, you will notice delicate cask influences, but really modest. Vanilla comes through. Whatever the composition of this whisky, I am sure mostly inactive wood was used to mature the malt and grain contents. It does evoke the soul of the Ballentine’s 30 years old, which is probably one of the best blended Scotch out there, so that is a good style to live up to.
Word to the Wise: A really good old blend that showcases much of the Chivas / Pernord Ricard distilleries, like Miltonduff, Strathisla and The Glenlivet.
A blend that also represents the lighter, almost summer style of Speyside whisky, and then offers more on top of that. A bright bottling!
Score: 90 points.