The provenance of this Glenlivet 1995 single cask 9480 is slightly complicated. Just like the excellent Aberlour 1999, this Glenlivet was officially selected by La Maison du Whisky. Only now it is aimed at the Chinese market. That’s probably the limit of what the distillery wants to disclose. In reality all bottles went to Jack Tar, which we’ve come to appreciate as a bottler with a good taste for both rum and whisky.
Glenlivet 25 yo 1995 (55,3%, OB ‘Single Cask Edition’ for LMdW / Jack Tar 2020, 2nd fill barrel #9480, 150 btl.)
Nose: highly classic. It starts on cereal notes and vanilla with light hints of polished oak. Fruity notes underneath, mostly apples, peaches and other garden fruits. Some custard and white flowers. Then also hints of herbal honey. In the background there’s also a nice marshmallow note, which comes out more with a drop of water.
Mouth: more of this “indigenous” fruitiness, now slightly brighter and more acidic. Lemons and grapefruits, with apples in second row. Then there’s a firm oaky side to it, bringing white pepper and aniseed, as well as a hint of green tea and bitter lemon. Some waxy notes and vanilla too.
Finish: long, with the oak spice lingering on. White pepper and lemon green tea. Still some vanilla.
This is a high quality bourbon cask, with a classic and vibrant profile. It’s rather perfect but it also stays a little too much in the center, if you know what I mean. The price of such an old official bottling doesn’t really help of course. I believe all bottles have found an owner but you may want to check with Jack Tar directly.