Review #30 - Glenlivet 18 Year

The most-sold Scotch single malt whisky in the world over the last year or two, and with the largest production capacity in Scotch malt (tied with Glenfiddich, roughly, around 21,000,000 litres per annum), Glenlivet is no doubt one of the giants of Scotch whisky. A couple of reasons this distillery still enjoys its status are its reputation for nice, easy-sipping malts, as well as its vast number of releases.

This is one of the core range offerings from Glenlivet, the 18 year old. According to the brand's website, we should be expecting some tropical flavors from the American oak (likely ex-bourbon), as well as a bit of spice contributed by some ex-sherry casks. With its lower bottling strength, will it be able to deliver?

Glenlivet 18 Year

Scotland/Speyside - Single Malt

Current Locally Available Price: USD 125 (2023)

Age Statement: 18 Years

Strength: 40% ABV

Cask Makeup: First-fill American, second-fill American, and ex-sherry casks

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 80% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: There is a little bit of wine influence there; some red or orange fruits, along with a very light sweetness. We find chocolate chip cookies, some other baked goods that are hard to place, and a little bit of plain chocolate. The oak is mild, and in terms of fruit, we're now getting orange zest, some sweet pear; it's light in general.

Palate: Cooling mouthfeel, and the thickness is on the thin side. There is just a bit of heat that builds later, but still quite mild; in terms of flavors, there is a bit of green plant and green fruit, some pear masked by a saucy red apple, and slight bitterness arriving from wood tannins. It's somewhat dry overall, which is nice, and while mellow and slightly watery, we do find a hint of a savory note later.

Finish: The finish here is medium-short, arriving with some fortified wine notes, but they trail off before too long. Mellow and a bit subdued, soft overall, and later we find tart pear and a small dry oak note.

Final Note: This wasn't bad, per se, but just alright. Because of the low bottling strength, it does indeed suffer a lack of engaging flavor; we would love to see this bumped up to at least 46% ABV, but because of the lighter spirit style from the distillery and mostly ex-bourbon aging, something in the realm of 48% to 50% might really start to show the quality here. It's generally what we've come to expect from Glenlivet: solid, without too many glaring 'faults,' but not terribly interesting. Good for an entry level (or early whisky journey exploration) whisky, but not inspiring compared to many 18 year old bottlings from Scotland.

Our Average Rating: 6.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 5.14