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Glenlivet 18 Year Old

Average score from 29 reviews and 118 ratings 84

Glenlivet 18 Year Old

Product details

  • Brand: Glenlivet
  • Bottler: Distillery Bottling
  • ABV: 43.0%
  • Age: 18 year old

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@OdysseusUnbound
Glenlivet 18 Year Old

What can anyone say about the Glenlivet that hasn't already been said? Glenlivet is an icon. It's the biggest selling single malt in the United States and the second biggest selling single malt in the world. Its origin story is one of the more interesting ones in the business, and even has a bit of truth to it. The Glenlivet 12 Year Old has a special place in my heart, so I was eager to try a bottle of their 18 Year Old when it was on sale awhile back. I'm glad I bought it when I did because the price has almost doubled since then. I must have forgotten this whisky in the back of my cabinet, because I didn't open it until a few weeks ago.

Tasting notes

  • Nose (undiluted): Though the nose is a bit understated, the sherry cask influence is evident with dried fruits, but with more brightness than the raisins and dates profile I typically associate with sherried whisky. Dried cranberries and raisins perhaps. Cherries. Vanilla frosting, icing sugar, oak.

  • Palate (undiluted): gentle arrival, understated, yet it's medium-bodied, with bright red fruit, sugar cookies and a somewhat oily texture. "Chewing" the whisky brings out a bit of orange zest and vanilla.

  • Finish: this is where the whisky really shines. Cherries, dark chocolate and walnuts with nutmeg, cloves, oak and raisins lingering longer than expected. Very balanced.

Adding water brings out some sharper notes on the nose. Bright orange zest comes through and dark chocolate shines through on the palate. Water thins out the body of the whisky, but brings forth more spiciness, especially nutmeg. The addition of water is interesting, but I prefer this one neat.The trade-off between body and spiciness isn't worth it to me.

I'm always a little embarrassed about admitting I like something popular. Maybe it's a consequence of spending my teenage years (and my early twenties) in the "alternative music" scene. The Glenlivet 18 may be a popular, "mainstream" whisky, but its popularity is justified, even if its Ontario price tag is not. This isn't my typical whisky preference. I gravitate toward intense, peaty, smoky scotches or bold, spicy ryes. Yet this whisky is almost above reproach. I would prefer to see it bottled at 46% ABV or higher, and without E150a (caramel colouring) and unchill-filtered, but as far as rich, rounded, sherried Speyside whiskies go, this one is pretty darned good.

@OdysseusUnbound Yeah, its mainly about the price which is now $195 in BC. I agree, its a workmanlike dram even if typically underpowered, chill filtered and caramelled up. The Glengoyne 18 is cheaper, natural colour and tastier IMHO. but also a woeful 43%. Of the standard OB non peated 18's I like the Springbank and Bunnahabain best.

@Wierdo It might be worth it. Depends on local pricing and your taste preference. It’s currently $180 CAD (approx. £100 or $138 USD) and I wouldn’t pay that much for it. Just a personal preference thing.

@Boglehill

I was glad to find a nip of this so I could try it without breaking the bank. Very rich spicy fruit aromas. Flavors of nutmeg, clove, raisins, bittersweet orange, honey, malt. Well balanced and very rewarding. A big step up from the 15 year old. Very tasty!

It's decent (around 82 for me), but for less money I think the 16 YO Nadurra puts it to shame.

I like the 18, I remember it as complex fruit and floral but oh so underpowered.

@Uisgebetha

Old gold in colour, maybe even a touch of red gold about it. I used to love this expression for its plumy fruity flavours which were fairly unique, but in recent years it’s lost that profile and become more aromatic.

The aroma is not immediately very interesting but if you get your nose down and concentrate a plethora of distinct hints crystallise out. I get orange, aniseed, pear, coriander and caraway seeds and a touch of sherry. On the palate it’s medium bodied, the oranges are there immediately but fade into the background as a slightly bitter complex aromatic flavour comes to dominate rather like dry vermouth, rather odd.

The finish is a little empty, like you’d get after a dry vodka martini, some alcohol burn lets you know you’ve had a drink and the bitter after effects of the aromatics do hang around a while but this is whisky and malt whisky at that. Its scored rather better than this review reads, probably because I like these kinds of flavours, but I’m not sure many would agree, and I still preferred it the way is was several years ago.

@Emin

One of my first 18 yo. Great smell : Chocolate, Toffee, a bit of coffee, caramalized apples . Really love this smell.

Taste : Without water the taste was very ' flat ' for me, so I added some drops. After this : Honey, Sour green apple, some caramel. Bitter finish, very much the bitterness of a tonic.

A bit dissapointed in this one.

I almost liked the 12 better. It is "entry level" and maybe expectations are lower. Not having any 12 I once used this to introduce a niece to the world of single malts because of its anaemic ABV. But to an experienced palate I agree it's a little boring.

I have a litre of this stuff that my wife brought back from a trip, maybe I need to find a good home for it...

Thanks for the review. I think the 18 is pretty good, but like the 15 much more. Give the 15 a try if you haven't already.

@MaltActivist

Glenlivet are not known for their brilliance, I will admit. However, their malts are carefully crafted to cater to the ever growing mass of whisky drinkers in a bid to keep them satisfied.

And this continued satisfaction ensures that the single malt industry keeps growing and allows us snobs to keep enjoying the fruits of everyone else's labor.

So thank you for that.

And thank you for this 18 year old. I like it. It's not overly complex, mind you, but it is sufficiently interesting. Matured in second fill European and first fill American Oak there is a nice spicy tropical balance to this.

Nose: Quite woody with an earthy sherry overtone. Salty almonds drizzled with cinnamon amid a basket of dark oranges. You can't help but like this nose.

Palate: Interesting with a cocoa / spice rub mixture dissolved in dark honey followed by roasted nuts and citrus drops.

Finish: Almond long with a hint of mocha.

Solid. Dependable.

@PMessinger
@Rantavahti

Glenlivet 18 year old was bit of an disappointment after my great experiences with the 12YO. It was surprisingly robust for its age, though that wasn't necessarily the key factor for disappointment.

Glenlivet 18 yrs has won prizes and is one of the classic Speyside drams, so I do know that many people like it very much. I guess it just doesn't fit in my palate like the great ones (and of course, over 80 points isn't bad, I was just expecting a score closer to 90).

Glenlivet is strong but sweet, like a strong female leading role. Movie that comes to mind is definitely Steel Magnolias.

Nose: Delicate currants at the start. Touch of wine combined with sherry and peat in a floral package.

Taste: Surprisingly robust for a 18YO Speyside dram...oaky dry and fruity. Floral and sherry notes.

Finish: Quite long and mixed with sweetness and bitterness. Hints of oak and berries.

Balance: Regardless to what I say, Glenlivet 18 yrs is a nice dram. It mixes dry and sweet spots nicely. The reason I'm being a bit critical is, that I was expecting more: was it too complex with this kind of palate? And what was that robust side, that in my opinion, doesn't fit well in a dram with this kind of flavors?

@Nock

I’ve tried this on a number of occasions. Recently, I gave a tasting to a couple that are friends of my wife. The husband likes Glenlivet and he responded with popping open a bottle of this. I had already had a few drams by that point . . . and all I got from that bottle was, “Well, this is pleasant enough.” So a short time later I cracked open my last sample of this saved from a bottle several years ago. I put it up against Glenfiddich 18yo and Macallan 18yo – trying to be more fair then the 15yo comparison I did involving Ardbeg. Here are my notes:

Nose: Honey and malt appear at first with a nice background of oak. The sweetness of the honey and malt blend nicely with the sharp notes of grass and lemon. Orange zest and apple appear . . . wow is that apple taking over! It smells like a candy apple!

Taste: Apple and lemon with little hints of spice.

Finish: Oaky and short and round. No real fireworks to speak of; it just sort of falls flat and dull. There is apple there but that is about it.

Balance, Complexity: Good balance of sweet and sour. The apple does seem to dominate on the nose while the lemon seems to dominate in the mouth. However, the two seem to balance out. But complex? Not really.

Color, Body, Aesthetic experience: Nice golden honey amber. Medium to light body. Points for age but not much else.

Conclusion: This bottle certainly looks impressive. However, for the extra cash you really don’t get that much of an “oomph” in either complexity or delight. Might as well get the 12 yo in my book.

@hunggar thanks for the kind words about my reviews. And thanks for taking the time to read them. However, don't think more highly of me then you ought! @Victor is correct that I have been keeping my own little personal set of reviews dating back to 2009 (with only two or three strange attempts before that). It is not out of patience I assure you. For a long time now I have been content to simply read other peoples reviews and make decisions based on them. Once someone has around 100 or more reviews I think it is easy to get a sense of their "taste."

It is only recently (in large part through conversations with @Victor) that I have felt like the very least I could do here at Connosr is give back a little bit of my experiences - for what little it might be worth - to other readers. At the very least if someone gets a sense of my "taste" and is able to discover a new whisky based on a review of mine I will be pleased.

I do think it is important for a person to really understand the "blinders" or "lenses" that a reviewer has when they rate a whisky. No one is objective. No whisky experience is objective. However, as you get to have a "read" on a reviewer you can make more informed decisions of how to treat their rating of a "78" or a "92" based on the criteria they use.

This has been part of my struggle: I very much use my own crazy system. I score a whisky in 5 categories out of 6.5 (being perfect). So the max a whisky can score in my book is 32.5

For me this system works perfectly. I know that anything over 30 is "buy every bottle." 25-30 is buy a new bottle once the last is finished. 20-25 is buy at the right price. Under 20 is don't buy (unless it is a gift). Under 15 is "re-gift." And under 10 is very, very sad.

It has taken me some time to figure out a way to translate my personal notes into something useful here at Connosr. Most of the reviews of mine you will read combine 3 to 4 reviews of a given whisky bottle (unless noted to be a sample).

Therefore, it is not out of patience that I have waited to see how a bottle develops, but more so out of selfishness and slowness. I have had a little burst of energy to pump out a few reviews these past few months. We will see how my resolve holds up. My next goal is get on the first page of Members when sorted by reviews. My second goal is to try and catch @Victor review count ;)

Good review, but I'm sorry you didn't like this one more. Personally I find it considerably more enjoyable than the 12. In my book Glenlivet isn't necessarily an 'oomph' whisky (unless we're discussing the Nadurra), but I found a subtle elegance and complexity to this dram that simply isn't there in the 12, more specifically in regard to the baking spices and oak presence that work around the apples. Thanks @Nock for another great write-up. I wish I could belt them out at the same rate as you, buddy! Keep 'em coming!

@MisterDigger

I tried this one at the bar. At first I was impressed with the perfect swetness and sherry flavors. But there is no smoke, and many others taste similar and cost a lot less. If this is all they have at the bar amidst blends, then I would order it. But bringing home a bottle is out of the question.

I now have a list of 13 more malts that were all tasted at the bar and deemed not worth buying. They are already rated between 81 and 69. I probably should give each one a second chance, so I anticipate that it will be quite a while before I submit another review. My liquor cabinet now contains 14 single malts, 1 scotch blend, and 3 American bourbons. I think that I now have enough! Thanks to everyone for all the reviews and tips.

@tjb

This has a lovely nose of green apples, sultanas and sherry,

The Palate brings warming spices, This is lovely and smooth. Again, green apples, sultanas, some sherry, honey and winter spices.

The finish is long, dry with a tang of spice and oak.

This is much better than the 12 year old.

I concur with the general sentiment here. For me, it's by far the most outstanding Glenlivet offering in the sub 20 year old "regular" line up (I don't include the Nadurra in this equation - if I were to do that, it would trump the 18).

Gorgeous nose and palate of raisins, toffee, apple pie and sherried spices.

@tjb, I agree totally, This is good stuff and right up there with most other 18 year old Speysiders. It should not be avoided out of a misguided bias against the ubiquity of Glenlivet. This distillery is capable of putting out as good a malt as any. Thanks for the review.

@Nemesis101

.....OK, that's not a serious title really. What I'm saying is that this is so, sooooo drinkable! I've just finished one sample, (which was to be my third and final drink of the day after reviewing a couple of others) but I've found myself pouring another.

Obviously a popular classic which has been reviewed numerous times so I'll try and add what I can. It is a very very smooth whisky. I get strong notes of fennel and aniseed - both on the nose and palate. Quite full bodied and rich, this actually reminds me more of a good blended malt in that it goes for silky smoothness rather than intriguing complexity, (think Johnnie Walker Gold or Chivas Regal 18yo).

Not so long ago I might have dismissed this as a single malt lacking in complexity. Now though (with a bit more maturity), I love it for what it is. Smooth, laid back and relaxing.

Thanks for the review. Glenlivet 18 is one of my favorites. I think I'll go pour myself a dram.

@SquidgyAsh

Last night I decided after a very long day of watching movies, playing video games, prepping for my wife's and I upcoming holiday to Scotland and talking whisky to crack open a sample bottle of whisky that had been sent to me.

Glenlivet 18 year old sent to me by my whisky friend, Systemdown of Queensland.

Up to him introducing me to a sample of Nadurra, all of my experiences with Glenlivet had been fairly unexceptional.

I personally found the 12 year old boring and the Nadurra that I purchased was unbalanced and overly floral and sweet.

However Systemdown assured me that Nadurra was a good little whisky and he proved me correct with his sample of Nadurra and so when I saw the 18 year old Glenlivet I was a little intrigued.

So when dinner arrived, meat lovers pizza, I decided to give it a crack.

Man am I glad that I did!

It has a lovely little nose of fruit, apples and pears, cinnamon, toffee, honey, vanilla, oak, little floral and a very slight cocoa aroma that appears and disappears.

Very cool!

A little sweet and complex nose that really does invite me to take a sip.

I'll oblige!

Mmmmm very nice.

Apples, pears, hint of oak, honey, again a little floral, vanilla, caramel. But it's balanced very nicely.

Just a little too sweet for my own personal preferences, but still very nice.

A long soft lingering finish ends this whisky with toffee and apples that linger on the back of the palate.

Delicious and yes this is what I hope for when I think Glenlivet!

Even better is this whisky is fairly priced, running at around $115 to $120 AUS, which I think is pretty good bang for buck on this single malt.

Looking for a nice sipping whisky to while away the evening, but prefer nothing smokey or peaty?

I'd give this whisky a try!

Wow. I find it mildly depressing that the overall majority judges this malt to be "ho-hum" at best. I bought a bottle to try - and after drinking it "carefully" I went back for a second one - a week later! Personally, I have no preference when it comes to which "camp" I visit, (blends vs single malt) I like what I like. And "I like" a few different whiskys - (all scotch). Some I favour exhibit considerable peat and/or smoke (Lagavulin 16 comes to mind)- and yet others I fancy tend to yield a more fruity experience, (such as this Glenlivet 18). I found it to be pleasant - both to nose and its flavor bouquet - "fit for everyday use". It is competent sipped with or without a splash of water and being American - I often add a few cubes of ice, particularly in the summer. I find its taste pleasant - dependable - it provides a positive dram memory for sure. Of course, the journey is long - and there are many miles yet untraveled! But for me - thus far - it rates in the 90's of its price class - IMHO. ($103 USD).

Time to jump in here!

@Systemdown thanks again for the sample! I need to get some more samples out to you before we fly out! So much to do!!!!!! It was in my opinion the best of the Glenlivet's that I've tried so far, hands down.

@CanadianNinja I totally understand where you're coming from. This for me was the standout of the Glenlivet lineup and something that made me do a little sigh of relief as the rest of the Glenlivet's I've tried really haven't impressed me too much. This isn't a whisky that I'd run out and buy mind you, but for someone looking for easy drinking or just starting their whisky journey, I'd happily start them here (and totally bypass the 12 year old in the process). I personally believe in doing a price point thing in my reviews as if people are interested in a whisky it gives them an idea on what to expect to pay and I hope helps them from overpaying for a whisky. I'm personally hoping to encounter something very sexy cask strength wise at Glenlivet while in Scotland so I do have my fingers crossed, and I'm an ambassador for them so I'm supposed to have access to some sort of members library with special Glenlivets in it for us to try, but we'll see how it goes.

@rwbenjey

Not quite as refined as I would like, but the amazing nose and fruity/spicy palate stand up rather well. There is a lovely flavor starting to develop in this that I really liked in my bottle of Tomatin 25 year; sort of a spicy dried fruit. Maybe I need to try the 21 and 25 year Glenlivet bottlings...

@hunggar

I bought the Glenlivet 12 a while back. It's good. It's light. My girlfriend loves it. For me, it's something that I would drink and forget minutes later. Not because it's bad, but it's just not very memorable. It's what you offer to someone who wants to try whisky for the first time, or what you drink if you want a refreshing dram on a hot summer day. One might call it the "Corona" of whiskies, if I may make a beer analogy here (or is that considered blasphemy on a whisky site?).

For about twice the price, you can buy something considerably more mature and complex. It's a deeper, darker 'livet, but still not too heavy.

Nose: Baked apple pie, with lots of cinnamon and brown sugar. The citrus/brine notes on the nose of the 12 do not make an appearance, but are replaced by a more mature, spiced scent. Very fruity. Fresh pears are here, too, with bananas and burnt vanilla. A complex nose. For me, this marks the highlight of the experience.

The tastes follow the nose. It's a ridiculously smooth, medium bodied dram with some wonderful complexity. White pepper, cinnamon, apples, pears, brown sugar, etc. Basically the body delivers on (almost) everything the nose promises. American oak comes in a bit later, weaving nicely in with the lingering spices. Great finish.

This dram is basically what you'd expect to get from a mature Glenlivet. It's got the smooth, inoffensive every-man qualities that makes the brand so popular, but with the wonderful mature complexity that comes with age. However, I may not buy this one again, at least not for a while. Where I live it is literally double the price of the 12. The 12 is certainly not as good. But is it worth paying double for? Don't get me wrong, it truly is considerably better than the twelve. I've yet to see how the 15 year old French oak measures up, but I digress...

I'm sure I'll grab another bottle down the line eventually. It is very good, but given its price, it won't be a mainstay in the cabinet. Now, if only I could get the girlfriend to stop mixing it with coke when the Walker runs out...

Definitely give the 15 a try. I think it's better than the 12 and 18. Also if you haven't tried the 21 Archive I highly recommend it. My favorite livets are the 15 and 21. Thanks for the review.

h

Tasted as part of a flight of Glenlivet along with the 15 y/o French Oak and the 16 y/o Nadurra.

There's a lot going on here. Considerably complex with a darker edge to some of the younger Glenvlivet expression.

The aroma has elements of hot fudge, some cinammon,bitter-sweet chocolate.

The palate is medium-bodied and confirms the nose with a hint of sweets and smoke coming through.

The finish follows suit with just a hint of smoke and spiceness.

This one is complex; all the elements are very subtle. A very contemplative drink good for pondering the ways of the world.

I have several bottles already open but have recently bought one of these. Probably be summer before this gets opened but after reading this i am very tempted to open this weekend......... :-)

B

Saw a picture on FB from Glenlivet about their 18 Year Single. They asked for flavors so I figured it was time to do another review.

Nose: very light caramel. The word crisp comes to mind; like the smell of a crisp apple and/or pear freshly cut. Fresh air blowing through the woods.

Palet: A light candied wood flavor at first sip. There is that caramel again with some vanilla extract underneath. Very creamy. Sweet.

Finish: Vanilla, clean and smooth but heavy warmth. Light cinnamon, long finish; hops.

I got the 18 year when I got the 15 year French Oak. I thought the 15 year was better but now I am torn. Overall not a bad dram. Cheers!

@Katipo

A very balanced nose, you know this is going to be a very good, safe, but not quite exceptional dram. Don't get me wrong, I love this expression, but in my limited experience, it doesn't quite touch 90. The nose has a distinct sweet and perfect woodiness which is missing from the younger 12 and 15 year olds. This is the ideal every-mans mid to high end scotch. No one would be offended by its offering after dinner. I should add that it is great value for an 18yr old, and is a perfect introduction to more sophisticated older drams. Would I buy this again? Yes I would. Value + Taste = Keeper.

@Kors

Since that times when The Glenlivet 12 YO leaves very pleasant memories about it I wanted to get some older The Glenlivet for a taste.
Finally, here it is - The Glenlivet 18 YO single malt from speyside. In 2011 Glenlivet 18 YO received a new bottle. Now it has become the same as The Glenlivet 21 YO and The Glenlivet XXV. Colorful rich liquid in bottle predicts an enjoyable journey to satisfying emotions by exploring the story of The Glenlivet 18 YO, which is matured in oak barrel. So let’s start it.

COLOR: bright amber, orange jelly. NEAT.

NOSE: very impressive, rich, elegant, deep, with notes of apple, citrus fruits, vanilla, hints of perfume and shade of smoked young oak, in a very deep nose - subtle tones of cheese mold. PALATE: complex, medium balanced, dry, pretty much alcoholicity as for 18 YO single malt, citrus, hint of honey and fruits in lights of caramel. FINISH: long enough, warming, with notes of orange peel, vanilla, fresh oak and hints of apple and peach traces at the very end.

WITH ICE DROPS.

NOSE: delicate, charming, deep with juicy apples wave and citrus fruits with fresh vanilla. PALATE: pretty gentle, but still medium balanced, with notes of apples, hint of honey, fruits and oak FINISH: long enough, warming, sweet fruit notes flows into tender oaky haze with enjoyable citrus hints at the very end

SUMMATION: drinkable, enjoyable, luxurious nose but palate is not as impressive as nose, medium balanced as for 18 YO single malt.

@vanPelt

Nose: Homemade buttery banana caramel pudding. Sherry overtones, and one can imagine a dry Bartlett pear in the back.

Palate: Opens with the smooth creaminess and tartness of a mouth-watering limoncello, but without the sweetness. This develops to guava, smoothed over with faint caramel. Above the guava are other light flavors of nutmeg and wild strawberry.

Finish: Long, with vanilla draping the fresh whites of orange rinds and slight cedar.

Amazingly smooth at all stages. The guava-lemon-caramel flavor presents high balance, and the mouthfeel's thickness defies the lighter flavors. The experience is almost too pleasant, so my main complaint would be that I prefer more complexity and development. A hard complaint to make though.

A follow-up that I felt was needed, after returning to a half-empty bottle after at least 6 months:

Nose: Now it is all moist pear, baked or over-ripe and with cinnamon. Palate: More sour than before: Lime with tart pineapple, and some bitterness from nutmeg and walnut skins. Finish: A little chalky, and a return of that moist pear.

Where is that "too smooth" experience, at all stages? This has turned somewhat sour, and even a little bitter. Definitely protect this malt from oxidation... I would now rate this an 82 or 83.

@MaltActivist

A brilliant nose smacking of honeycomb, burnt citrus, chocolate, treacle, traces of banana and fruity barley.

Dry and silky smooth palate full of glorious spices like star anise and cinnamon. But mostly honeycomb, citrus and strong, mature oak covered in thick burnt caramel.

Substantially long dry finish that stays on and on.

A must have late evening dram!

I actually uploaded a wrong tasting note by mistake in the other one. The problem is connosr doesnt let you delete reviews so I'm kinda stuck with the other one.

So I'm just wondering why you have two different reviews of the same whisky, both with different ratings. Where they a different bottling?

@MaltActivist

Understated oak and hints of syrupy maple on the nose. The palate delivers the same but with aplomb as the flavors dance and bounce off your tongue beautifully. There's vanilla and chocolate every where while the finish brings you some char. A mature man's drink with a playful side.

@Drdre
@wylcx

Well worth the price, very easy to drink right from the start this is a comforting scotch smooth and mellow very refined, The Glenlivet never disappoints. Very creamy and fruity aromas. Smooth taste with slight traces of oak and smoke.

This was the dram that rekindled my interest in offerings from Glenlivet - well worth looking at!

@Alanjp

I’ve started using a “tastings journal” to put my tasting notes in that I got free with Whisky Magazine, so from now on my reviews will be mainly me putting together the stuff I’ve scribbled in there, including this one, so they’ll make even less sense than normal!

I’ve sampled Glenlivet drams before, but this one caught my eye as I had some spare cash at the end of the month, and this looked like great value for the price!

The colour of this is like a light gold, mixed with a bit of bronze, which looked beautiful in the old Glencairn glass! On the nose, it felt quite heavy and full, I want to describe it as smelling solid but it almost sounds wrong! Also got a woody aroma from it, along with a hint of pear, which is odd as I haven’t smelt a pear in years! To taste, this dram maintains the woody vibes, but seems calm and soft compared to the fullness of the smell. There is no harshness to it, there’s some kind of youth about it, which goes against the age statement on the bottle, not sure how else to describe that really!

There’s a long, rubbery, kind of sharp finish that leaves a mark on your senses, an enjoyable dram from start to finish, and in my mind excellent value for an 18 year single malt.

It wasnt something i picked up first time around, and after having a bit more last night i can't say i did. Obviously that's not to say it isnt there, i probably just miss it!

Do you also get the taste of chocolate with this Scotch?

@Kutter

I should start by saying that this is the first Glenlivet expression that I have tasted.

Nose: All about green apples. Some sniff suggesting even green apple pie. Although I never ate a green apple pie, I imagine it will smell like this. Behind the strong green apple smell, I have managed to identify a little bit of vanilla and even toffee.

Taste: The green apples have faded in the mouth, but they are still present. The palate gives place to a more complex mix of flavors than the unidimensional nose in my sense. Spices, nuts, chocolate and dried fruits are mixed in a nice balance.

Finish: Medium-long to long. Nice finish where the Glenlivet plays with dryness and wetness back and forth for our pleasure. All the flavors listed in the Taste are fading out beautifully.

I gave 20 for the nose because it is so unidimensional, however, it is very pleasant.

Yes a real classic, oft overlooked.

@jwise

This whisky has been reviewed very well, so I figured I owed it to The Glenlivet to try it, and give it a fair shake. This malt is a pretty light colored dram, coming in about pale straw. This expression is bottled at 43% ABV.

Nose: Pretty malty, with floral notes and a faint honey and vanilla. Not the best nose, but not bad. I could probably enjoy this for a while, but it won't win any awards. On second approach I'm getting some ripe fruit, but its pretty faint. Sliced pears? Definitely a little freshness to it. The nose is getting better.

Body: Stand up kind of body. Plenty of mouth feel to keep it interesting.

Palate: Spice comes in nicely. Not exactly sweet, but very pleasant. Very malty.

Finish: Pretty decent finish. Medium long, with some spice coming in. Nice fruity finish; not sweet, but stewed fruits.

All in all, this is a decent dram. I wouldn't turn it down if it was offered to me, but at the same time, I wouldn't pay more than $35 for it.

@jdcook

This is the second bottle my wife bought me for my birthday. The local bottle shop was trying to get rid of it, so she got it for AU$80, which is about AU$30 less than anywhere else in Australia.

The nose is rich and light - full of malty fruity goodness. A hint of peat, some cinnamon and an underlying honey sweetness overlaying a kind of sherry smoke. This is deceptively strong - I can leave it sitting on the coffee table, sit back on the couch and I'll get tantalising whiffs of it from over a metre away. Very nice.

The taste is silky caramel, with a rich mix of pears and apples juxtaposed with cinnamon and warm oak. Subsequent sips bring out some honey and hints of sherry. More complex than I expected, but not overly so - and it is significantly richer than you would expect from the nose.

The finish is long, warm wave of malt and peat, with a return of the sherry smoke. Alongside that, the spice from the taste continues to keep your tongue tingling for a few minutes as well.

I was expecting this one to be decent, but I expected it to be completely eclipsed by the HP 18 year old. Don't get me wrong, I prefer the HP 18, but the HP 18 didn't quite reach my expectations whereas this one exceeded them, and it's more than capable of playing in the same sandbox. I tossed up between 8.5 and 9, I've decided on 8.5, but it was a close one.

If you want a rich fruity speyside done right that's still pretty easy to drink, then you've found it!

@jdcook Thanks for the information on your Fiddich 18 review. And I agree on your choice. If both were available I'd take both and drink the Livet 18 1st. But then again that would put me in a contradiction with one of your last sugguestions, in your Fiddich 18 review. That was to "drink the Glenfiddich 18 1st". So, I'm going to do that and save the best for last. Forgive me I don't know how to use this web site yet and how you veterans use it. I'm a green horn beginner having just joined in December. Sorry, for the bit of a rant. I appreciate your reviews. Thank you.

I tasted the Fiddich 18yr, and absolutely hated it. In fact, I had to nearly scrub out my mouth before proceeding with the rest of our tastings. The finish was that awful. The 15yr was drinkable, and the 12yr was downright boring. However, this tasting was a multiple whisky tasting, and I forget which order I had the Fiddich's. While I may chalk up the boring tastes to the fact it was tasted '2nd', but that finish can't be excused, regardless of taste order.

I have stated before that I don't care for the Glenlivet range, but I couldn't remember which ones I have tasted (12-18yr, probably; not the Nadurra; none of the older 21+yr expressions). I stumbled upon miniatures of the 15yr French Oak Reserve and the 18yr, and picked them up to give them one more try. After reading this review, I am now looking forward to trying the 18yr, and hope that I either misjudged it before (possibly because it was 2nd or 6th in a tasting lineup), or it is a new one on me.

@mikesven

Color: bright amber, rich orange hue

Nose: strong citrus aromas, malt, slightly earthy and floral. (opens up with a few drops of water, floral aromas het much more intense)

Body: long lasting legs in the glass. smooth, a tad oily.

Palate: floral, Turkish delight, honey, oak

Finish: Smooth, short lasting 

This is one of my favourite Glenlivet expressions (apart from the Nadurra which is amazing), I'm not such a big fan of their younger whiskies.

@markjedi1

I previously tasted the Glenlivet 12 Year Old and the no longer made 12 Year Old French Oak Finish (replaced by the 15 Year Old French Oak) and now this 18 Year Old, of which I had received a sample from my friend Niek.

I find the nose wonderful. It's a delicate balancing of flavours: quite a bit of flowery aromas and fresh, sweet fruits. Add to that some sherry and even a pinch of peat and you have a nose that will make you long for more.

On the palate, it's the red fruits that take center stage, accompanied by caramelised pears, sherry and malt. The whole is seasoned with some spices and there is influence of the oak as well.

The finish is warm, hearthy with peat in the background. This is not a very complex dram, but slightly spiced and with a battle between sweet and bitter, it's a very nice one. In any case, this one puts the 12 Year Old to shame in every respect.

To the review, with which I agree. may I add that what I like best about this 18 is the honey essence that I just love. It may not be the most complex of singles, but it is highly refined and wonderfully drinkable. I wish it was a bit more peaty, but this is the finest Glenlivet that I've enjoyed thus far.

Yeah the 12 year old Glenlivet has always struck me as a little lacking in character, but this sounds much better.

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