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Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra

0613X<0814D

9 1284

@casualtortureReview by @casualtorture

29th Mar 2021

1

Glenlivet 16 Year Old Nadurra
  • Nose
    22
  • Taste
    22
  • Finish
    19
  • Balance
    21
  • Overall
    84

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Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

This is my second bottle of the 16yo Nadurra from THE Glenlivet. My first bottle that was very good was batch 0814D. I found this 0613X last September and grabbed it while I could, as finding these in the wild is not an easy thing to do these days.

Bottle has been opened for 6 months and is just under half full. Neat in a Glencairn. I will jot this down, then compare my review with 0814D as a sort-of head to head.

Nose: Lemon juice, pineapple, orange peel, honey, and a bit of vanilla strudel/pastry. I'm always surprised at how "light" the 16yo Nadurra is despite being full of flavor and cask strength. A welcome trait for spring weather in my book.

Palate: The underlying malt really shines through with this, and that's something I greatly appreciate in a whisky and something that is harder to find. This isn't drowned in peat or sherry. The palate is very refreshing, with vanilla, honey, a bit of milk chocolate and "smarties" candy. And again, it is a light mouthfeel despite the strength.

Finish: I find the finish in this batch to be a tad disappointing. All the nice things about the nose and palate fade fairly quick, and the finish is, as much as I hate to say, flat and slightly tannic/bitter.

Overall: I love that there isn't anything this malt could hide behind like peat or sherry. Despite the age in the cask, the underlying spirit really comes out and I wish there was more of that in newer whisky releases.

While still a good whisky, batch 0814D was better. The nose and palate of this batch are very similar, but I just remember 0814D meshing perfectly and everything being turned up in intensity compared to this batch. Not to mention the finish on this one is just not as good. I will say this, time has not done this bottle any favors. This was better when freshly opened. The 0814D didn't seem to have an oxidation decline despite being opened for a couple years. If I were to have fresh bottles of both batches side by side, I think they would be very competitive, maybe a point difference with 0814D coming out slightly on top. But as it sits after a few months, 0613X, while still good, falls well short of 0814D.

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12 comments

@Nozinan
Nozinan commented

Thanks for the review. Despite not having had much of this one, for some reason it sticks out as a significant whisky for me. It must have really made an impression all those years ago.

3 years ago 2Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@Nozinan I think it stands out to me because it isn't drowned in peat or sherry. It's really good spirit, and they want you to know it. What other whiskies are currently like this? It's hard to come up with names.

3 years ago 3Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@casualtorture You raise a great point. I love peat, and I enjoy some sherried malts, but there aren’t many non-peated and non-sherried malts around. Aultmore 12 comes to mind. Maybe Deanston 12? I wish it was more common because I really like 100% ex-bourbon maturation. I’m guessing that from a marketing perspective, it’s probably easier to sell the finest sherry oak casks as a sales pitch.

3 years ago 4Who liked this?

@Victor
Victor commented

@casualtorture the reason I never bought a Glenlivet Nadurra 16 yo is that I have tasted from both the better and "just OK" batches. I didn't want the "just OK" 16 Nadurra, and I wasn't willing to take the chance. Do I miss it? At this point I'd be happy to swap for a sample from a friend and that would satisfy my curiosity about trying it again.

Oh, and I'd love to own a bottle of Glenlivet Archive 21 yo, but I'd only be willing to pay $ 80 for it, and not the current average world asking price of $ 269.

3 years ago 4Who liked this?

@OdysseusUnbound
OdysseusUnbound commented

@Victor Aberlour recently tried (succeeded?) pulling a fast one over on customers. Their 18 Year Old became available for about $140. Pricy, yes, but that's not a terrible price for Ontario....UNTIL I noticed that they are selling this 18 Year Old in a 500 ml bottle. Hard no from me.

3 years ago 4Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@casualtorture, Nadurra 16 YO is a rare gem. The lesser batches are great in their own right. This is the whisky responsible for turning me on to bourbon cask malt. @OdysseusUnbound, i prefer bourbon cask maturation over sherry cask maturation; however, in my opinion, nothing beats a truly magnificent sherry cask single malt...as I sip upon a wee drop of Balvenie Tun 1401 batch #9.

3 years ago 6Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@casualtorture Nice, honest, straightforward review. 08/14D is the only Nadurra I've had and I love it. But it sounds like batch variation is an issue. Even so, if I saw any batch of 16 yo Nadurra for sale at a reasonable price I would jump on it no hesitation.

3 years ago 3Who liked this?

@paddockjudge
paddockjudge commented

@BlueNote, if ever you are picking up a bottle for yourself, please grab one for me...regardless of the batch.

@casualtorture, there was some good planning by @ajjarrett, tucking a few into the bunker.

3 years ago 3Who liked this?

@casualtorture
casualtorture commented

@paddockjudge yeah he has quite a few bunkered away haha. I should have bought every bottle of Arran 14 I came across before it disappeared everywhere. Never know when your favorite stuff will be suddenly gone.

3 years ago 4Who liked this?

@BlueNote
BlueNote commented

@paddockjudge Gladly.

3 years ago 1Who liked this?

@Timp
Timp commented

@casualtorture nice review and thanks for posting it up. Always good to hear about the different batches. Cheers..

3 years ago 2Who liked this?