The Glenlivet 12 Year First Fill Review
In-Depth Review
The Glenlivet ranks as one of the most loved whisky brands in the world. A classic Speyside distillery, the Glenlivet has enjoyed incredible success with its venerable classic 12 year expression that sits on almost every bar from Los Angeles to Tokyo. But with their core range now expanded to include various non-age stated whiskies, 12, 14, 15, and 18 year whiskies, where does the brand go from here? How do they continue to create excitement and bring new people into the brand? Limited Editions! The Glenlivet have joined the throngs of other distilleries who have experimented with a plethora of special editions, experimenting with different finishes, mashbills etc.
Enter Glenlivet 12 First Fill.
For 12 year First Fill, Glenlivet have taken their distillate and aged it exclusively in first fill American oak barrels to create a whisky that blends the sweetness of American oak with the light and floral Speyside distillate. But is this really worth about $20 more than the traditional 12 year expression? Does the wood change the character enough to justify the cost?
Age: 12 years
ABV: 43.2%
Cask: Fill-fill American casks
MSRP: $50
Distillery Name: The Glenlivet
Review Date: 1/9/21
Color: Gold
Nose: This is a fantastic nose. It starts off with sweet vanilla, light sugars, some fruity chocolate and toffee. There’s a nice mix of bourbon influence without impeding too much into the malty base. There’s a mixture of light and floral cereal grain mixed with those traditional bourbon vanilla and oak. As it sits in the glass, more grassy, floral, and fruit bread notes come through. Overall a very satisfying nose.
Palate: The first sip comes off hotter than expected for a little over 43% ABV. The palate explodes with traditional light, fruity, and floral Glenlivet flavors; but amped up significantly more than the traditional 12 year expression. There is honey, toasted meringue, whipped cream and freshly cut flowers. There’s also a touch of iodine and a brininess laying underneath. The mouthfeel is very creamy and produces a nice warming effect at the back of the tongue. From memory, this is a bit lighter than the Glenfiddich 14 year ex-bourbon barrel expression, but deeper and richer than the tradition Glenlivet 12.
Finish: Medium finish. The finish is more earthy and meaty than the sweetness shown in the palate. More lingering savory notes with some medicinal bitterness at the end.
Final Thoughts: This one was a huge surprise for me. I missed out on the original distribution of this back in 2019 but found a stash recently that was discounted to under $30. At that price point, this whisky is a steal. It provides a much more rounded, and flavorful experience than the traditional Glenlivet 12, at a similar price point.
But regardless of price, this is an excellent sipper. I have found myself reaching for this way more than I expected. I love the mixture of light and floral malt with the strong sweet vanillas and oak of the bourbon casks. The finish is the weakest part here as it gives too much of a medicinal flavor for my taste. But the nose is excellent and the palate is lovely. This is a fantastic addition to the Glenlivet line, and one I would absolutely recommend. I have spent a lot more for much less enjoyable whisky.
