Nose: A sweet, mellow stroll down the candy aisle, with peach gummies, dried pineapple, cotton candy, and bubblegum. Cream soda underscores the sugar rush.

Through a virtual experience, which can be activated by scanning Spectra’s QR code on a smartphone, whisky drinkers are then given cryptic hints and are challenged to put their tasting abilities to the test as they seek to determine the most prominent flavours of each bottle (i.e. whether it’s toffee, vanilla and pear for example). At the end of each tasting, users are given a personalised scorecard showing how close they got to decoding each of the three mysterious single malts.

Through the gamified experience, whisky drinkers will be given cryptic hints and challenged to put their tasting abilities to the test as they seek to determine what flavour profiles make each bottle unique. At the end of each tasting, users are given a personalised scorecard showing how close they are to decoding each of the three mysterious single malts. The reason for using this form is because the three 20cl bottles are housed in separate compartments (numbered one to three), that each has triangular-shaped magnetic lids (the middle section is an inverted triangle to make it all work together).

If we decide not to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, such decision shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. These were namely Alpha, Cipher, Code and Enigma (a US exclusive), bottles that occasionally go up for sale with the main online whisky auction houses. Palate: Also very ripely fruited, with ripe pears and peaches and more pineapple building to a creamy, pleasantly buttery mid-palate. The finish is dry, oaky, and nutty, with a touch of bitter almond giving structure to a gentle afterglow of warm vanilla. To me, this is very much in Glenlivet’s wheelhouse, and it’s a style they’ve really perfected. Normally when we write about new releases from well-known distilleries, it’s all about the cask. Our customers want to know as much as possible about how their whisky has been aged: Were the casks first fill or refill? Were they made with European or American oak? What did the casks hold before? Bourbon? Rum? Marsala? Sherry? What kind of sherry? From which bodega? Were they recharred? And most importantly, how long did the whisky spend in barrel? Taste: The rawness is gone, the bananas have stayed, and there’s a nice creamed coconut texture along with milk chocolate.Palate: Soft, rounded and focused on charred wood. Roasted bananas on a beach barbecue with salty air whipping around. Pears and creosote appear, accompanied by lemon, grapefruit and a good sprinkling of salt. The conceit is simple. Firstly: here’s a whisky, and we’re not going to tell you anything about it that we’re not legally obliged to – strength, size of the bottle, ‘single malt Scotch whisky’ and not much more. Then: taste it, write tasting notes and compare them to what master blender/distiller/everything else Alan Winchester thought. And finally: they’ll let you know how closely your thoughts matched up with Alan’s with a percentage score.

Palate: Light, delicate and creamy: apples, pears and green leaves. The floral notes from the nose build, along with more biscuits and a touch of lemon shortbread. Why the name “Spectra” (which sounds like the name of a movie)? Well, we can only suppose it’s because this trio of mystery Scotch whiskies invites consumers to explore a wide “spectrum” of flavours through an immersive tasting experience. Each expression is a reinterpretation of The Glenlivet’s signature smooth and fruity house style and is released without any hint of what’s inside. Whiskybase B.V. (“Whiskybase”, “we” or “us”, company details below) offers a whisky enthusiasts online platform that provides its members access to the most comprehensive, transparent and trusted resource of whisky bottles and allows and stimulates its members to contribute information about whisky bottles to the platform (“Service”).

Tasting Notes

The hint given to drinkers of this expression, which has a light golden hue, was “Whisky touched by flames”, suggesting a smoky characteristic. This is a 12-year-old whisky aged in double charred barrels. This means that the whisky was fully finished in double charred casks, barrels there were freshly emptied and re-charred immediately to create a deep, rich character. Our Service is an online platform which provides Members with information (e.g. bottle facts, market-indices, market values and prices) on (mostly) whisky and allows Members to add information to the platform. We do not sell, nor does the Service provide any option to buy, any alcoholic products. You are responsible for all activities through your account. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide to us in relation to your account, and for updating it where necessary. You are not allowed to create multiple accounts. We may terminate or temporarily suspend your account to protect you, ourselves or our partners from (suspected) identity theft or other (suspected) fraudulent (e.g. false, misleading, deceptive) activity. You have the obligation to keep your login credentials confidential. You shall not authorize any others to use or access your account. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect.

The man behind that famed dram was George Smith, a tenant farmer on land belonging to Alexander Gordon, Duke of Gordon. The Duke, not surprisingly, was a great advocate for reforming the draconian legislation around distilling so that he could commercialise it. 1823 saw the passing of the Excise Act which liberalised distilling but also provided more resources and power to excise officers. One of the first people to take advantage of the new laws was George Smith who built a new distillery at Glenlivet in the Highlands on what was once a farm distillery called Upper Drummin. Palate: A sweet vanilla entry builds to mild to moderate smoke, more smoldering than billowing, with caramelized pears and plantains beneath the haze. The peppery finish brings cinnamon, clove, menthol, jalapeño, and coffee bean, but the final note is that signature clean, fruity Glenlivet sweetness. Fun to taste a smoky Glenlivet! The wait is now over, the drams have been consumed, and the long-standing mystery has been solved. All we can do now is wait in anticipation for what comes next in this truly mesmerising series… Finish: A burst of mint and menthol is washed away by cream and apple sauce. Hints of charcoal and char build, along with mint. In just two years after the act, the number of licensed distilleries doubled and legal whisky production rose from two million to six million gallons a year. Glenlivet was so prestigious that it gave its name to the whole region, now known as Speyside. To help preserve his brand, George Smith’s son, John Gordon Smith, applied for sole rights to the name, which were granted in 1884 but allowed other producers to hyphenate it with their own names eg. Glenfarclas-Glenlivet, which is still seen today, though very rarely. Which is why the original is known grandly as THE Glenlivet to differentiate itself from all those hyphenated Glenlivets.

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Nose: Fresh and floral – vanilla, grass and meadows. Nice biscuits and a hint of lemon. Apple and ripe pear notes develop along with caramel shortbread. These were namely Alpha, Cipher, Code and Enigma (a US exclusive), and were designed to keep whisky connoisseurs guessing as to what they were savouring. Comment: This is not what I expected. It’s still got the orchard fruit and flowers you’d expect from Glenlivet, but someone’s set them on fire. Nose: Unexpectedly soft and aromatically floral (think roses), though there’s a definite herbal tang too, like aloe vera gel and cucumbers. Delightful and unusual. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.