Glenlivet 1978 (Whisky Fair & Three Rivers)

A Glenlivet distilled in 1978 and bottled in 2010 for The Whisky Fair in Limburg, together with Three Rivers in Tokyo.

Glenlivet 32 yo 1978 (52,9%, The Whisky Fair & Three Rivers 2010, bourbon hogshead, 250 btl.)

Nose: an elegant nose on juicy garden fruits (apples, peaches, oranges) with a light hint of tropical fruitiness and vanilla. Rich barley notes. Subtle dried grass. Pastry notes as well, with nice beeswax in the background.

Mouth: creamy mouthfeel with quite some vanilla. Sweet and fruity at first (yellow apples, melon, mango). Then an array of spices like ginger and cinnamon, fading to drier oaky notes and cloves. Strangely enough, after the second or third sip, it seemed my mouth could only pick up the oak and filtered out the fruits. Too bad, it becomes slightly tangy with a hint of peat.

Finish: fairly dry and tannic with less of the fruity goodness.

This Glenlivet sets off with lovely Speyside fruits and a rich creaminess, but on the palate the oak gets louder by the minute. Overall I was more impressed with the Glenlivet 1977 by Whisky-Doris for example. Around € 140. Still available in the Whisky Fair shop.

Score: 86/100