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Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra

Drizzle me in honey

8 787

@casualtortureReview by @casualtorture

12th May 2019

1

Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra
  • Nose
    21
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    22
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    87

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

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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7 comments

@Hewie
Hewie commented

I've not had the pleasure of coming across one of the 16 year old versions of Nadurra - only the later NAS (which didn't really impress me much). These 16's definitely get a bit of love around here - I'll have to keep my eyes open for an old dusty lurking in a corner somewhere.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

I actually enjoyed the NAS version of this. I bet the 16 year version would be even better. I remain a dedicated peat-head, but I’ve really been enjoying no-frills malt whiskies the last 8-12 months. Tasting unpeated/unsherried Caol Ila, Bruichladdich, Aultmore, and even Glenlivet is an interesting experience.

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

@OdysseusUnbound

I think it’s ok to like both peated and Unpeated malts. No reason to choose.

Which of your kids do you love most?

5 years ago 2Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@casualtorture, a nice review for a nice whisky.

Nadurra 16 YO is one of my favourite cask strength single malts. Allowed only one word to describe it, I would use the word c-l-e-a-n. You have captured the essence of this whisky, but it is a shame that not all batches of N 16 YO were not created equal. I've never had a bad bottle of this wonderful whisky, of the five (or more) batches from which I've tasted, this batch ranks below the others. At the top are 7/12 and 11/11. Three words describe these top batches, Whisky Pop Rocks, they cause my taste buds to explode with happiness!

...two words for sharing this frank and accurate review, thank you.

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@Nozinan, you ask the question "Which of your kids do you love most?"

The one that brings me a bottle of Unicorn Juice, peated or unpeated, for birthdays, Fathers Day, Christmas, etc.....the two other kids belong to their mother! wink

5 years ago 3Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@paddockjudge Thanks! Glad to be able to contribute.

5 years ago 0

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

This stuff is how Glenlivet redeems themselves for all the other mass market mediocre muck they put out. Nice review @casualtorture.

5 years ago 1Who liked this?