Reviews of the ubiquitous Glenlivet 12 can benchmark a given reviewer's palate. In my case, note that I postponed sampling to the most appropriate location: an Airbus 330.The setting is perfect, of…

First vapor: Peach cream, orange zest, and almond.Nose: Sherry-derived purple grape and orange. Vanilla-smooth yet with that sharp sherry overtone like almond skins. Eventually... seems less fruity and…

I'll do something a little bit different here, but only since I'm sure this may be the most important review ever posted. Of course, I'd love to hear comments about its significance! Anyway, due to the…

First vapor: Sherry; the grapy scent of pure ethanol.Nose: Spirity concord grapes, over deep walnut oil. Further breathing shows brown sugar and cocoa powder, with a whisp of allspice or clove.Palate:…

First vapor: Light purple grape flesh.Nose: Purple grape upfront. A smoothly dense vanilla/white-chocolate follows up. A cool sharpness is revealed with deeper breaths: almond skin, orange zest, and the…

First vapor: Almond or amaretto.Nose: Fresh unsalted butter, covering a lemon/almond sharpness. Then steamed barley appears before vapors replenish.Palate: Light and flat entrance like unsalted steamed…

My official rating is for the original tasting. (I rated 4 points lower for a sample that had been allowed to oxidize for a couple weeks. Changes are noted below.)Nose: A young, grassy type of lemon,…

For the 1994 bottling.Nose: Purple grape & sugarcane, at first. Then adds cocoa, as fine and dry as cinnamon powder... and with a punch as sharp as orange zest. After more time, vanilla and butterscotch…

First vapor: Marvelous cherry.Nose: Cherry/vanilla-walnut/nectarine, most dominantly. Beyond this, some complex layers can be pulled out: Eucalyptus and fresh red plum flesh. Leather fogs these impres…

Nose: Purple grape: flesh, skins, seeds and all. There is a sophisticated misty bitterness of almond and black caffeine (cocoa), and you may also find toffee/marshmallow. Palate: Enters smoothly and…