The Glenlivet Nadurra Oloroso Review
In-Depth Review
The Glenlivet Nàdurra series seeks to show what tasting Glenlivet whisky is like straight from the barrel. Nàdurra – meaning “natural” in Gaelic – is the closest many of us will get to an entirely pure tasting experience – short of actually visiting the distillery itself. Coming in various versions, the Nàdurra series is an inside peak into how a big, bold full cask strength Glenlivet takes to sherried and peated treatments. This particular Oloroso version (Batch OL0516) is aged entirely in first fill Oloroso sherry barrels from Jerez, Spain and is bottled at cask strength, non-chill filtered, and with no added coloring. In a word – natural.
This batch was bottled in May of 2016, and I recently picked it up for a clarence price of 50% off its MSRP. Clearly this had been sitting on the shelf a while, and with very little out there about this particular batch, I took the dive and grabbed a bottle. Because really... What’s not to love about a cask strength, sherried version of one of the biggest names in Scotch whisky? Let’s dive in and find out.
Age: Non-Age Stated
ABV: 60.4%
Cask: Oloroso Sherry
MSRP: $80
Distillery Name: The Glenlivet
Review Date: 8/30/21
Color: Caramel
Nose: This was a doozy. Immediately you’re hit with a rush of strong ethanol – showing every bit of that 60% ABV – before it slowly starts to open up. After letting it rest for 10 minutes in the glass, milk chocolate shavings, honey, angel food cake, and a touch of chlorine appear. It’s a tight and closed off nose dominated primarily by the strong alcohol notes.
After the addition of water, stronger chocolate notes come through along with orange, sawdust, melon, and green apple. It also gives off a much creamier, softer, and more approachable demeanor. The sweetness is more apparent and what was Angels Food cake, now is more reminiscent of a baked rum cake. With water, the nose is much more enjoyable than neat.
Palate: Similar to the nose, the palate starts off hot when sipped neat. But once past the unpleasant alcohol burn, there’s an explosion of sherry goodness. It’s a light and bright sherry, rather than a dark and brooding sherry like you find in Glendronach or some Aberlours. If sherry can be zesty, this is an example. It features a medium sweetness, with notes of maple syrup, molasses, fig, walnut and plum. The brightness does make it more savory than a traditional sherry bomb, an interesting twist for a whisky that was aged exclusively in Oloroso casks. The mouthfeel while neat isn’t amazing, with more youth and grains coming through, leading to a thinner mouthfeel than I was expecting.
When water is added, the sherry shines through more. The heat and rough edges are smoothed out, creating a creamier, and more enjoyable mouthfeel. Water also allows the flavors to blossom, with more rum-like notes and esters coming through with dark fruits, sugarcane, bitter chocolate, and molasses. Not as bright as when enjoyed neat, this whisky once again takes well to water and allows it to open up to a much more interesting whisky.
Finish: Sipping this neat leads to a long finish that still features a burning alcohol note prominently. There’s a touch of wood but the strongest flavor is that of green apples, perhaps a nod to the youthfulness of the spirit. There’s also a bitter tannic note on the end of the finish, which isn’t the most inviting when considering another sip.
With water, the finish is a bit shorter, but more sweetness and less bitter notes.
Final Thoughts: I wouldn’t recommend to drink The Glenlivet Nadurra Ol0516 neat if you don’t want to burn your tastebuds off. This bottle was a disappointment that I should have seen coming. How else could it sit on shelves for over 5 years only to be put on clearance for less than 50% of its MSRP? I thought I found a treasure but ultimately I regret grabbing this bottle. The youth of the spirit comes through more than I was expecting, and the sherry didn’t dominate in the way I expected. With water this was significantly improved but still feel short. This is a bottle to watch for a Last Drop Review, to see if time can improve what on paper seemed like a slam dunk. At an MSRP of $80, I would grab a cask strength Aberlour over this every time for its deeper, richer, notes that are more elegantly put together and reward even the casual whisky drinker - something this Glenlivet struggles to accomplish.
