The Glenlivet 15 Year Old
The Glenlivet distillery was one of the pioneers of the use of French Oak in the making of whisky; its usage now common globally. The Limousin Oak used by The Glenlivet is from a region of France - Dordogne - where it is predominantly used to mature cognac.
United KingdomColour Deep Gold
Nose A sweet, buttery nose with golden syrup and honeycomb.
Palate Grandma's apple crumble straight out of the oven with a generous dusting of cinnamon
Finish A long, dry nutty close with some peppery heat
Overview
The 15 Year Old, which is the second youngest The Glenlivet expression, is matured in a similar way to the 12 Year Old but for those additional three years it ages in new French Limousin oak from France’s Dordogne region which are typically used in Cognac production. The Glenlivet were one of the first to use French oak in their maturation and it is now common the whisky world over. The low density of the wood allows the spirit to sink deeper and take on more of the cask influence. It also means that more monitoring and careful control is required to ensure the unique spiciness doesn’t overpower the rich, exotic final result. When it comes to firsts from The Glenlivet, there is no better place to join than The Whisky Club
THE SPECS
Age: 15 Years Old
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Glenlivet's History
Known as ‘the single malt that started it all’, Glenlivet Distillery was established in 1824 by farmer George Smith and was the first distillery in the Speyside region to be licensed under the new Excise Act of 1823. As we’ve explored in previous months, due to unfavourable legislation Scotland was a hotbed of illegal distillation for much of the 18th and early 19th century but the Excise Act provided a sensible framework upon which to bring the small operators in from the black market and create a scalable industry that has subsequently grown in to the multi-billion dollar powerhouse that it is today.
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Distillery Facts
Region: Speyside
Origin: The Glenlivet Distillery Ballindalloch Banffshire AB37 9DB, Scotland, United Kingdom
Founded: 1824
Water Source: Josie’s Well
Washbacks: 16, Wood
Stills: 7 wash and 7 spirit
Capacity: 10,500,000 litres of alcohol per year