A long-overdue review of the Glenlivet 12 year old Illicit Still today. And not only for this one, but also for an official bottling of the Speyside Distillery in general. The last one, a review of the Glenlivet 25 year old, was written waaaay back in 2017! It should be clear, I’m not a big fan of the official bottlings, but I was curious about this release.
The illicit Still comes with a story… Because according to the distillery, this 12 year old single malt is inspired by their origins, and how their liquid was first crafted in the early 1800s, when it was still illegal (hence the name). It should even convey an authentic taste of Glenlivet’s history. Of course, this should be taken with a very big pinch of salt and this is no more than a nice marketing story, but the fact remains that this whisky was released for a very reasonable price (between €40-€45). Other than that, it’s bottled at a strength of 48% ABV, which is quite high for an official Glenlivet. All in all, reason enough for me to give this single malt a try.
Glenlivet 12 year old Illicit Still tasting notes:
Nose: Pears and green apples. A nice drop of honey.Then oranges. Some caramel fudge and nougat. A hint of peach juice and lemons too.
Taste: Pears and a hint of lemons. But also toffee and salted caramel. A tropical note from pineapple and peach, followed by Vanilla. Nougat again and also almonds. This all is followed by cinnamon and cloves.
Finish: mid-long with mainly vanilla, pears and a touch of cinnamon and cloves.
Not the whisky as Glenlivet makes out with their marketing story. But that aside, it’s a nice daily dram, especially in its price range.
