This whisky has been reviewed very well, so I figured I owed it to The Glenlivet to try it, and give it a fair shake. This malt is a pretty light colored dram, coming in about pale straw. This expression is bottled at 43% ABV.

Smooth odeur; sweet with a very strong aroma of butter. Hints of toffee, vanilla and a touch of dry cotton. Bit leafy at the end plus some wet forest floor. Palate: Opens with the smooth creaminess and tartness of a mouth-watering limoncello, but without the sweetness. This develops to guava, smoothed over with faint caramel. Above the guava are other light flavors of nutmeg and wild strawberry.

The Glenlivet 12 Double Oak – Review

The colour of this is like a light gold, mixed with a bit of bronze, which looked beautiful in the old Glencairn glass! On the nose, it felt quite heavy and full, I want to describe it as smelling solid but it almost sounds wrong! Also got a woody aroma from it, along with a hint of pear, which is odd as I haven’t smelt a pear in years! To taste, this dram maintains the woody vibes, but seems calm and soft compared to the fullness of the smell. There is no harshness to it, there’s some kind of youth about it, which goes against the age statement on the bottle, not sure how else to describe that really! I’ve sampled Glenlivet drams before, but this one caught my eye as I had some spare cash at the end of the month, and this looked like great value for the price! I think this is a huge improvement over the 12-year-old. The blending of flavors is more cohesive, and there seems to be a better balance between oak influence and the distillery DNA. I feel like I’d enjoy this more if it weren’t so watery. Glenlivet 18 year old was bit of an disappointment after my great experiences with the 12YO. It was surprisingly robust for its age, though that wasn't necessarily the key factor for disappointment.

Glenlivet is strong but sweet, like a strong female leading role. Movie that comes to mind is definitely Steel Magnolias. I found it to be pleasant - both to nose and its flavor bouquet - "fit for everyday use". It is competent sipped with or without a splash of water and being American - I often add a few cubes of ice, particularly in the summer.There's a lot going on here. Considerably complex with a darker edge to some of the younger Glenvlivet expression. I concur with the general sentiment here. For me, it's by far the most outstanding Glenlivet offering in the sub 20 year old "regular" line up (I don't include the Nadurra in this equation - if I were to do that, it would trump the 18).

In the mouth: Like the nose, the red fruits and sherry flavors dominate. I get light tastes of cherry candy, chocolate, blood orange, dates, coffee, sultanas, caramelized orange peel oil and toasted chestnut. In between those are subtle flashes of sulfur. Conclusions: Nose: very light caramel. The word crisp comes to mind; like the smell of a crisp apple and/or pear freshly cut. Fresh air blowing through the woods. If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, the remainder of the Terms shall continue in full force and effect.

Score: 5/10

Nose: Pretty malty, with floral notes and a faint honey and vanilla. Not the best nose, but not bad. I could probably enjoy this for a while, but it won't win any awards. On second approach I'm getting some ripe fruit, but its pretty faint. Sliced pears? Definitely a little freshness to it. The nose is getting better. Aside from being different, I find that it isn’t as complex as the 12 and 15. The flavors are just more pleasant, thus easier to enjoy. After the cask flavors run out, though, there’s a sudden stop. If you were to ask me my ranking of the three, I’d say 15 > 18 > 12. Like a lot of the easily accessible whisky, it’s a lot more presentable on the nose. It’s very coherent and enticing. Once you get in the mouth, though, it’s a mess. The flavors get all bungled up, and a watery texture doesn’t help either. I feel like the finish was the best part because the flavors get their act together in that moment. Taste : Without water the taste was very ' flat ' for me, so I added some drops. After this : Honey, Sour green apple, some caramel. Bitter finish, very much the bitterness of a tonic. Finish: Oaky and short and round. No real fireworks to speak of; it just sort of falls flat and dull. There is apple there but that is about it.