The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
Updated February 15, 2023
By Richard Thomas
Rating: A-
The Glenlivet 21 Year Old
(Credit: Pernod-Ricard)
It’s been several years since I was fortunate enough to visit The Glenlivet Distillery, but I remember it well. It was May, but it being Scotland, it had snowed the night before. The great Alan Winchester, who stepped down as Master Distiller at The Glenlivet last year after nearly five decades in the Scotch business, was on hand to guide us through tasting several iterations of his single malt. So, I was already familiar with The Glenlivet 21 Year Old when Pernod-Ricard announced they were relaunching both it and the 25 Year Old malts.
This new take saw its primary maturation in American and Sherry oak casks, before a round of finishing in first-fill Oloroso sherry, Troncais oak Cognac and Vintage Colheita port casks (this latter is a personal favorite when it comes to Port). This is bottled at 43% ABV.
The Scotch
A pour of the 21 Year Old takes on a copper cast in the glass. The nose had a cake-like, fruity character, with a current of musty air washing over it. The flavor develops those qualities substantially, coming out as baked pears smothered in honey, touched up with vanilla, ginger and golden raisins. This fades fast on the finish, winding down first to hay before finally settling on a faint trace of oak. It’s a smooth, balanced, cultured dram, and well worth it at the price point offered (see below).
The Price
Please take note of the labeling and look of the relaunched 21 Year Old, because it may make a difference to the price tag. The relaunched version has an official price of $320 a bottle. I’ve found the market price for the older version (the one with red labeling) is similar, but discontinued products and versions of products have a way of becoming collectables.
