Glenlivet Signatory 2007 12yr Cask #900238

46% Signatory Cask #900238 "Un-Chillfiltered Collection"

Another recent release from the Signatory “Un-Chillfitered Collection” stables, this has come from a first-fill sherry butt – albeit diluted down to a respectable & quaffable 46% ABV. And although it’s labelled as a 12yr, it’s actually not that far off being a 13yrs old.

Given the calibre of past Signatory-Glenlivet bottlings, I immediately snapped this one up as soon as it was available online. At £56 a bottle, it was too much of a temptation to ignore. So is it any good? Hmmm.

Appearance: Medium amber, long, thin and lazy waxen legs.

Nose: Floral-laced waves of sherry and toffee sauce bound with a malty thickness greet the nose. Then there’s caramelised banana, a slight sweet nuttiness (hazelnut brittle), buttery cream and fragrant aromatics that swirl around and intertwine. It’s quite beautiful.

Palate: Sweetness of sherry is there from the off that becomes thicker and oilier after a few seconds on the tongue. A more detectable fruit-pie pudding-sugariness appears and then allows a milder singed sugar-bite to emerge. Now the sweetness takes on a more pronounced toffee-like consistency. The toffee/caramel theme continues throughout and is studded with a gentle pepper-tingle. It’s very refined and doesn’t have any off-notes whatsoever. At the back of the palate there’s almost a buttered toast note.

Finish: Medium-long. Caramelised sugar continues to stay on the tongue, transforming to a more raisin-like sweet note after a short while.

Conclusion: Very rarely have I had a Signatory bottling that I didn’t like (apart from one particular Edradour), and this Glenlivet is no exception. Granted, the majority of Signatory single cask bottles I buy are undiluted and at natural cask strength, and this one is diluted down to 46%. But it is thoroughly delightful. It exhibits the typical traits of a really good Glenlivet cask, carrying the trademark personality of refinement, gentle fruit, well-balanced sherry notes, and has a beautiful finish. It most definitely bridges the gap between being a sipper and a session dram. It also reminds me of another distillery who produce a 15yr sherried vatting – but this Glenlivet is cheaper. So it’s great to see that decent pricing can still occur amidst the current whisky-pricing craziness.

Is it worth the price? Without a doubt. It’s definitely worth a purchase in my opinion. And I did.

I hereby name thee The Glenlivet ‘Guzzler’ - because it’s easy to do exactly that with this one.

Available for £56 at the time of writing