A Glenlivet (Minmore) 1988 from Cadenhead on the menu today. As you probably know I’m not a fan of this brand, but it is always good to try an independent release of Glenlivet. Hoping that this will be the one I really like. 😉
On the bottle you see the name Minmore behind Glenlivet. This is the name of the old farm site on which the Glenlivet distillery was built. But the name Minmore is also often used by independent bottlers for ‘undisclosed’ Glenlivets.
This Glenlivet has matured in a bourbon hogshead for 21 years, and is bottled in 2009 at 55,7% ABV.
Glenlivet (Minmore) 1988 tasting notes:
Nose: Fresh, fruity, honey and vanilla. Hmm so far this is nice but also quite standard. A little bit of wood and coconut. Basically all your typical bourbon influences. Normally the Glenlivet spirit (at least nowadays) is very sweet and has that typical Speyside flavour profile of apple and pears. It’s not really complex but very nice. I do get it in the nose but it almost feels like the cask is overpowering the spirit. With water I get more of a grassy smell while the fruitiness is gone.
Taste: Immediately I get some heavy wood influence. Almost fresh cut wood, quite sharp. Green apples, it’s a bit grassy and there is a hint of ginger. It’s not unpleasant but you should like a profile like this, otherwise it might be off-putting. It stings a bit. With water this will disappear, but the spiciness and the wood influence are still here.
Finish: The finish is quite short. It’s fresh and there’s a little bit of fruit. Some honey sweetness as well. Not so bitter as the taste suggests, which is a little bit of a surprise.
It’s an ok whisky. But you have to like this kind of profile. It’s easy to drink if you get past the oakiness / wood influence. The water makes it better but then it’s quite a simple dram. I would pass this next time.
Photo credit: Whiskybase
