Glenlivet Nadurra First Fill American Oak

Gaelic for ‘natural’, Nàdurra was launched in 2004 as a cask-strength, non chill-filtered single malt whisky based on the style of whisky enjoyed in the 19th century. As in the old days, the whisky is bottled straight from the cask, and does not undergo any processing such as chill filtration – so you get the real thing as it’s meant to be drunk. All Nàdurras are made in small batches, each at a different ABV as alcohol content varies between casks. The range was originally headed up by the now discontinued 16yo (Hot tip: grab a bottle if you see one of these floating around!) and was recently overhauled to comprise three NAS expressions named after the cask used for maturation; Olorosso, American Oak and Peated Cask.

This was the official Australian launch of the Nàdurra First Fill American Oak and we were privileged to receive a special shipment of the latest batch FF0115. Our main man Jim Murray nearly wet himself when he tasted Batch FF0714, awarding it a massive 95.5/100 while musing “mmm… a sumptuously rich delivery, and though the oils are healthy there is never a threat to the complexity….Red liquorice and treacle pudding fills the mid-ground; walnut oil subtly adds a further oaky presence….a long interweaving between the oak and the barley, although it is the malt which fades faster…. now that is what I call a whisky!”