Glenlivet 12 Review and Tasting Notes

The Story

Glenlivet 12 is the entry level whisky of the best selling single malt brand in the world.

I have to admit to having two different feelings towards Glenlivet 12, one positive and one less positive.

First, I appreciate it.  It is perhaps the most accessible single malt in the world, both in terms of pricing and availability.  At $34 for a bottle, the price is reasonable.  At the same time, the flavor of Glenlivet is middle of the road enough to appeal to a broad market.

Thus, it serves the noble job of bringing single malt scotch to the world.

You have to love that.

However, I think this very accessibility is what marks its downfall amongst those already thoroughly entrenched within the scotch world.  In its attempt to appeal to the greatest number of people, Glenlivet 12 seems to lack its own identity.  In its effort to be so firmly middle of the road, it fails to become something on its own.

While it avoids making any missteps, it remains one - or perhaps two - dimensional.

But at a reasonable price and as an entry level drink, is there anything wrong with that?


Tasting Notes

Nose: Mild on the nose.  Grainy cereal is dominant. Green apples linger underneath it and is mingled with mild lemony sour.  Pineapple touches in from the sideline, but you have to look for it; it's lovely once you find it.  Water dims the nose; perhaps I added more than I meant to, but I suspect that the overall mild nose couldn't support the dilution.  The cereal grains - with a corn-like sweetness - is about all I can get.

Palate: Again, grainy cereal is the starter, but it is quickly balanced by a rush of sweet malt with toffee and vanilla.  This time the apples have been baked with a dash of nutmeg, but the flavors fail to build upon their foundation.  Water brought out deeper notes of vanilla that mingled with brown sugar; this was very pleasant.  However, with the water, the fruit eludes me.

Finish: Short to medium length finish.  The oak comes through with a nice woodiness without crossing the line into bitter.  A vague pepperiness comes in as the finish trails off and is the longest lingering of all the tastes.


Review

Overall, I enjoyed this more than I expected to.  It strikes me as fairly middle of the road with an enjoyable foundation of basic scotch flavors without building much upon that to achieve any true complexity.

At the price point, it is a solid drink.  It certainly belongs on any scotch drinker's shelf as a casual sipping drink or a cost effective but quality drink to offer guests that do not need to be impressed.

I slightly preferred this dram neat.  It seemed that the dilution from added water was more than the light flavors and only mild complexity could overcome.  That said, I think adding a few drops of water might be worth doing from time to time, because I found the stronger brown sugar and vanilla very enjoyable on its own.


Scotch Dreams Score: 84

Scotch Dreams Value Adjustment: +2

*The Scotch Dreams Value Adjustment attempts to account for the price/quality balance in some of the world's cheaper or overpriced drams.  Cheap scotch that is good enough to earn a decent rating will typically see a positive adjustment, while overpriced scotch that is mediocre will see a negative adjustment.  Adjustments are on a scale of -5 to +5 and may be added directly to the Scotch Dreams Score - which addresses ONLY the dram's quality - to achieve a price weighted scoring.  Check the Scotch Dreams Scoring System page if you're interested in learning more.