Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra

I found one of these sitting on a shelf in Nashville 2 years ago. Thankfully I snagged it because I haven't seen one since. This is batch 0814D. Nadurra means "natural," and this is bottled at cask strength and natural color, as we wish all whisky was. It is aged 16 years in first fill bourbon casks.

This bottle has been opened for about 5 months and is 90% full. It has had some air, but the fill level is going down very slowly. Neat in a Glencairn.

One note about the color, this is one of the lighter 16yo whiskies I've come across, even among other NCF no color added whiskies.

Nose: Very clean. The malt really comes through. Cereal, honey sweetness, vanilla. Lots of honey and vanilla. Some chocolate, coffee beans. Balanced, nothing overpowering. Seems to me like the casks were not that active which has let the underlying spirit really shine, although bourbon notes do come through vividly and softly. Not hot at all. People who drink bourbon would love this. The more I nose it, the more bourbon I smell.

Palate: Wow, good strength of flavour here. Honey most notably, followed by vanilla. Malt and cereal. Like before, it seems you get a lot of the underlying spirit here. Not overly complex, but very clean, very approachable. A tad bit of fruit (apricot, mandarin oranges), chocolate if you look for it, latte, and just more loads of honey and vanilla.

Finish: Honey drizzles down the back of my throat with vanilla and ripe oranges. Long lasting.

Overall: This would be a great introduction into cask strength, non-peated, non-sherried scotch. A great one to give to a bourbon drinker. Not the most complex, but very clean, with the malt and cereal notes coming through, along with the bourbon notes, honey, and just a tad bit of deeper chocolate and coffee notes. I will enjoy every last drop of this since it is becoming harder and harder to come by.

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