May 17, 2013 — Malthound

The Glenlivet Alpha Twitter Tasting

Last night I had the pleasure of taking part in my first Twitter Tasting courtesy of @The_Glenlivet, @TheWhiskyWire, @iantheguardian and organised by @DrinksPRAgency.

They’d got us all together to celebrate the Launch of the Glenlivet Alpha as well as sampling some old favourites: The Glenlivet 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old Old French Oak Reserve and 18 Year Old.

It was a very enjoyable evening, spent in excellent ‘virtual’ company and I think a good time was had by all!

The evening seemed to spark off a lot of old memories with the malts bringing back feelings of times past, some of them longer ago than others!

Tasting the Glenlivet Alpha was an amazing experience and after all the publicity it has had, it wasn’t a dissapointment.

Tasting Notes – Glenlivet 12 Year Old

Glenlivet 12, 15 and 18 Year Olds

Nose: Sweet, creamy vanilla underlying fresh fruits.

Palate: Very light, sweet fruity flavours. Quite oaky.

Finish: @ifotou said it reminded him of Opal fruits / Starbust which was a great description! Pleasantly spicy finish.

Overall: Not as sweet at the nose makes you believe. A very nicely balanced malt. Perfect to start the evening off with! I Added some water which makes it softer, but I still prefer the pure 12 yr!

Tasting Notes – Glenlivet 15 Year Old Old French Oak Reserve

The Glenlivet 15 Year Old: 40% ABV – A proportion of the spirit is matured in a selection of French Oak casks for a limited period.

Nose: Fruit with some rich woody notes thrown in.

Palate: A bit ‘meatier’ than the 12. Spice hits you early on coupled with some fruity sweetness, but the spice is the boss at the beginning!

Finish: The spice stays thru to the finish but it’s not overpowering. Quite a short finish and a touch of water reduces the spice a tad but brings out some un-discovered smokiness.

Overall: Smooth as silk and like @iantheguardian commented: all of the Glenlivet family is perfectly balanced.

Tasting Notes – Glenlivet 18 Year Old

Nose: Beautiful colour (down to increased Sherry content and 1st fill bourbon barrels) and so Rich, rich, rich! Spice, woody with cooked fruit sweetness. Fragrances of junior school crayons and plasticine. My childhood is rushing towards me!

Palate: Rich, syrupy sweet, full bodied.

Finish: Longer finish. Gorgeous spice, cinnamon mixed with lingering fruit sweetness.

Overall: Promises a lot and doesn’t fail to deliver. Can’t get over how sweet this is – and I totally get the ginger hit at the back of the throat!

Tasting Notes – Glenlivet Alpha

The Glenlivet Alpha – A New Mystery Expression!

Nose: Lovely light golden colour. Nose of pineapple and apples.

Palate: Vanilla and sweet almonds with a sherbet zing. Sweet floral flavours. VERY smooth.

Finish: Gentle zing on the palate, quite dry. Short spicy finish but the tingle lasts a good long while. Adding water lessens the ‘tongue tingle’ and let’s those fruit flavours flood on thru!

Overall: An excellent malt. Fruity, sparkly on the tongue. Not what you may expect but then what did you expect as there was no tasting notes! @lucycryle described it as tasting like Lilt. Well Lilt for grown ups anyway!

The Alpha was a great tasting experience but for future repeatability I’d go for the 18 Year Old. Simply because there’s more of it around!

The Glenlivet Range is available from these Whisky Merchants:-