The Glenlivet Cipher Twitter Tasting!

The Glenlivet Cipher Line-Up!

Monday evenings Tweet Tasting was all puzzles and enigma this week with three Glenlivets to sample plus their mysterious Glenlivet Cipher.

The Cipher was outlined here just recently, so everyone attending the tasting, which was once again ably hosted by Steve from The Whisky Wire, was very eager to have the opportunity to sample something a little bit special.

The malts sampled were:-

The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

The Glenlivet 12 Year Old

The Glenlivet 15 Year Old

The Glenlivet Cipher

If you want to catch up on what all the tasters had to say you can view the tweets by searching for the hash tag #TheGlenlivetCipher on Twitter.

You may also want to try out the tasting wheel specially created for the release of the Cipher and see how close you can get to cracking the secret flavours used in the dram.

I got a Very Low 38% but “Hey Ho!” – that’s what my tastebuds said on the night and you can’t argue with a tastebud!

So, what did I think?

Here are my tasting notes … and the one which was my favourite on the night!

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve (40%)

A NAS (No Age Statement) single malt whisky. Created to honour the original vision of their pioneering founder George Smith, The Glenlivet Founders Reserve pays tribute to the uniquely smooth and fruity taste he first envisioned way back in 1824.

Distilled using the same time-honoured techniques introduced by George Smith himself, The Glenlivet Founders Reserve is drawn predominantly from a range of traditional aged oak casks.

Nose: Sweet and citrusy with a hint of mintness. Signature vanilla, pears and red apples! Also detect a Slight woodiness in there as well.

Palate: Light mouthfeel, delicate – fruits and a little vanilla.

Finish: Pepper and spice with a creamy finish – zingy on those tastebuds – moderately long.

Overall: An impeccably smooth, light dram that’s not too heavy on the palate.

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet 12 Year Old (40%)

The Glenlivet’s signature style. Matured primarily in ex-American oak casks and using mineral-rich water from Josie’s Well, which helps to form its flavours during mashing & fermentation.

Nose: Sweet, creamy vanilla underlying fresh fruits – there’s that woodiness again which I like coupled with crisp apple aromas – Crunch!

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

Finish: Pleasantly spicy, peppery finish – not as hot as the Founder’s Reserve.

Overall: Not as sweet at the nose makes you believe but a very nicely balanced malt. Perfect to start the evening off with!

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet 15 Year Old (40%)

A proportion of the spirit is matured in a selection of French Oak casks for a limited period and was one of the first distilleries to use French oak for maturing whisky. The casks, from the Dordogne region, are usually used to mature cognacs.

Nose: Syrupy fruit with added vanilla & some rich woody notes thrown in. Rich apple & tropical fruits – I love this!

Palate: A bit ‘meatier’ than the 12 Year Old. Spice hits you early on but the vanilla caramel is divine!

Finish: The spice stays through to the finish but it’s not overpowering. Quite a short finish.

Overall: Smooth as silk and perfectly balanced. One of my favourite malts!

Tasting Notes – The Glenlivet Cipher (48%)

Presented in an opaque, black bottle without any cask information, The Glenlivet Cipher is a Scotch whisky shrouded in mystery that helps whisky lovers to push the boundaries of flavour exploration. Crafted from a unique cask combination that has never before been used by The Glenlivet.

Nose: There’s punchy vanilla and red apples. Got a hint of Strawberry jam with honey and apricots.

Palate: Thick, sweet honey with hints of tropical fruit. Spicy, ginger chocolate goodiness!

Finish: Hot, spicy finish that’s long and quite fiery.

Overall: A game of two halves for me – sweet and caramel followed by a hot, chilli bite – Interesting!

My Favourite On The Night?

The Glenlivet Cipher – although I do love the 15 I had to pick this for the uniqueness of the experience – it’s not everyday you get to sample an enigma!

Many thanks to Steve at The Whisky Wire (@TheWhiskyWire) for a great dram evening and the team at Richmond Towers (@DrinksPRAgency) for sending the samples!

And of course, The Glenlivet (@TheGlenlivet), without whom. Studying has never been so much fun!!