The Glenlivet Carribean Reserve

@Megawatt - have you tried the Balvenie 14 rum cask? I found it a little sweet for my tastes but very quaffable. It would make a good summer whisky actually ...

I am yet to try any Glenlivet but will soon open a 12 Illicit Still. I'm looking forward to it.

Cheers!

@Megawatt @RianC With the greatest respect, the only Glenlivet worth opening your wallet for is, the now sadly defunct, Nadurra 16. The rest might help unclog your wife’s hair from the bathroom sink, but even then Draino might be a better choice. Just my humble opinion of course.

I don’t think people like the folks who frequent this site are Glenlivet’s target market. I’ll gladly accept a glass of Glenlivet if it’s offered, but like many other brands, there are other things at every Glenlivet price point I like better. Thanks for the review. I wasn’t going to purchase a bottle of this and your words confirm my choice.

@BlueNote - The new 'limited release' 12 Illicit Still has had excellent reviews across the board hence why I took the gamble. Nothing from their usual range gets me excited apart from perhaps the 18 but they reduced it to 40% for some reason ...

@RianC Yeah, I guess I was a little hard on them. They do have an excellent visitor centre. I saw the 18 on a pretty good sale price a while ago, almost $40 off the usual price, but I passed when I saw it had been downgraded to 40%. I don't know why the hell they do that.

Lesson learned. I quite like the cognac-finished Captain’s Reserve and the 12 year old but this one tastes like the spirit is lacking in quality, or was perhaps bottles too young. I’m kicking myself for not buying Tomatin 12 instead.

@Megawatt The Tomatin 12 is getting a lot of good reviews lately. Among my whisky friends it's a distillery that's getting a lot of love these days.

@BlueNote I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve tried from Tomatin, save perhaps their 15 Year from the older style of bottles. They’re honest malts at fair prices.

I will say that this whisky is better on the rocks. It is marketed as a summer drink and when served over lots of ice it loses its bitter edge but retains the malty sweetness. So on a patio during a warm summer night this just might be the ticket. Must experiment further.

@RianC

I've had the 14 year old Balvenie and I loved it, but I don't know how much that had to do with the rum casks as opposed to the quality of the spirit.

I like Glenlivet, have had some really good ones, but these NAS versions coming out are pretty hit and miss.