Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve - any good?

I had a chance t try it last night. If I had known you would ask this question, I would have..

But I didn't. I tried to avoid NAS samples and stuck with the good stuff.

"There is no age statement on these bottles, just like the very earliest bottles of The Glenlivet. The lack of age statement allowed Smith to draw from different cask ages, and that freedom has been replicated to take advantage of the distinctive pre-aging character created by the unique lantern shaped stills used at the distillery."

oh how lucky we are to have such kind distillers. They really go out of their way to please us consumers

Haven't tried it but I am not sure if I will, isn't it 40% and used to be a duty free exclusive?

@Alexsweden Yes, there surely is another marketing genius behind that text. I have nothing against NAS whisky as long as it doesn't replace the good ones. As in this case it does, surely they will replace the 12yo elsewhere too...

@Rantavahti, as Alice said "Curiouser and curiouser." How very exciting! Maybe now there will be a run on Glenlivet 12 yo!!! (Words you'd never expect to hear spoken around here.)

"What is next?", he asked playfully. Runs on 5 yo whisky because it has an age statement?

I am still somewhat ambivalent about the NAS boycott. While there are many age stated whiskies available at reasonable prices to fill the void, I am loathe to give up A'Bunadh, Uigeadail, Quarter Cask and several others that I used to buy on a regular basis because there was widespread consensus on their quality. We've heard all the arguments pro and con and It's almost a dead horse now, but I think we can all agree that the more information we are given, the more informed our purchases are. Although an age statement is by no means a guarantee of quality it is at least a guarantee of the youngest age of the contents. This stuff is too damned expensive to be buying without some indication of what's in it.

I have many NAS bottlings, I have nothing against it as such. A NAS "special" like a'bunadh definitely has it's merits. I don't, however, want to see the regular, age stated whisky get replaced with bottles lacking age statement.

It is also a testament to the work and craftsmanship that goes into the spirit! For me it adds a dimension to know that the contents of my bottle has been lying in a big wooden cask in a musty warehouse for 15 years.

I respect NAS that were there during the "age matters" days (and that were good, of course). Some of these IMO would be Nikka from the Barrel, many of the Glenmorangies, many Ardbegs, the Birnie Moss, ...

In any case, the solution is to go, as I do more and more, to single casks. That way I know what I am getting.

That's a nice idea @Olivier, but those lovely single cask offerings can be quite pricey. I agree, though, that the NAS offerings available during the "age matters" era tended to be good quality, and many still are. And let's face it, an age statement is no guarantee of quality. It's a dilemma for many whisky lovers. We each need to do what we feel is appropriate in order to keep the industry honest and accountable, and perhaps most importantly, maintaining a suitably high standard of quality given the high price of the product.

I sampled the Founder's Reserve last weekend in Toronto. It was not bad at all. I had not heard anything about it replacing the 12 yr. This would surprise me, as it is distinctly different from the 12 yr. In fact it's taste is indeed distinct. It was not my favorite of the 4 we sampled in the Glenlivet masterclass I attended, as I preferred a couple of the Nadurras, but it's worth giving a try.

Bought a bottle which I shared with my co-worker. So 3 weeks later, half a bottle in possession, I finally managed to write a review: whiskyrant.com/2015/05/…

My first impression was better but with time it feels much poorer each time. Could it be just nostalgia towards the 12yo or can a whisky lose character this fast? Even in the nosing glass it feels weaker after 20 minutes...

Finally got my review of the Founder's Reserve done. Here it is: whiskyrant.com/the-glenlivet-founders-reser…

And for comparison, Glenlivet 12YO: whiskyrant.com/the-glenlivet-12-year-old-re…

I have to say, that the new Glenlivet tastes worse the more I revisit it. I haven't changed my score in the post but last time I tasted it, it was starting to feel like a under 80 point whisky. Keeps on getting poorer and poorer with oxidation.

The Founder's Reserve is selling here in NZ at exactly the same price as the Glenlivet 12. What does this mean and is it a replacement for the 12? Surely they don't intend a NAS to compete at the same price point? I haven't tried the Founder's Reserve so going back to the original question - is it any good? I'm interested in any reviews or comparisons drawn against the 12.

@Rantavahti, I liked the Glenlivet Founders Reserve early delivery...but then it all went progressively downhill into an unpleasant finish. The first 3-5 seconds tasted good. @Nozinan I part company with you after that. The stuff I drank finished not merely weakly, but was indeed, God-awful. The Glenlivet Founders Reserve, tasted side by side with OB Glenlivet 12 yo, made the Glenlivet 12 yo look like a shining star by comparison. The 12 yo is clean. The Founders Reserve became very dirty.

@Victor A friend, who is not an adventurous Scotch drinker but is a heavy consumer of Glenlivet 12, bought a bottle of FR when it was on sale a while ago for $10 less than the 12. He gave me a 50ml sample to try. In answer to the original question: "Is it any Good?" the answer is an unequivocal NO!!

Actually, they served the Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve on the flight back from Singapore and, much to my surprise, I found it quite decent (expectations were low, but nonetheless).

I have tried the Glenlivet Founder's Reserve and it's an underwhelming dram. It is better than what I expected, yet inferior in every way to the 12 YO. Also, in the shops around here, the Founder's Reserve sells for $5 more than what the 12 went for before it was removed from this market.

@olivier I'd rather the Glenfiddich 12 YO that pops up at some in-flight services.