Whisky: Glenlivet 14 Year (2007), WhiskySponge No. 57

Country/Region: Scotland/Speyside

ABV: 53%

Cask: First Fill Sherry Hogshead

Age: 14 Years (Distilled 2007, Bottled 2022)

Nose: Stewed fruits, apple sauce, poached pears, hints of pepper and cinnamon, a touch of spirited prickle between cinnamon red hots and green apple hard candies, hints of cola and birch with time.

Palate: Medium-bodied, balanced, orchard fruits, stewed fruit, cinnamon and spice, honey, lacquered wood, hints of cola and ginger.

Finish: Medium-length and slightly drying with stewed fruits and subtle leather.

Score: 6-

Mental Image: William Tell’s Apple-Shot

Narrative & Notes: Pots of bubbling and stewing fruits released an apple-led assault on the senses with dates, figs, red plums, and pears following close behind. Cinnamon, pepper, brown sugar, and subtle anise popped with a bit of spirited prickle as the spice and sugars recombined so that cinnamon red hots and green apple hard candies appeared. Occasionally the aroma was a touch grassy and herbal, with hints of cola and birch providing additional complexity. Medium-bodied and well-balanced, the palate featured much the same story as the nose, with orchard fruits and spice in the leading roles. Apples, pears, figs, and dates with the odd plum and persimmon thrown in danced merrily with cinnamon, pepper, brown sugar, honey, and anise. Lacquered wood arrived and lingered on the palate with cinnamon, ginger, and hints of kola nuts. The finish was medium-length and slightly drying with stewed fruits and hints of leather.

The flavors were about what one would expect from a very sherry Glenlivet with tons of apples, stewed fruits, and bright cinnamon spice. The impressive aspect of this dram was its immaculately balanced mouthfeel. The touch of spirited prickle on the nose was generally mellower on the palate, which was almost buttery in its smoothness. I appreciate the willingness of the ever cheeky WhiskySponge to bottle his eponymous malts at whatever strength he judges best; I do not doubt that this benefited from some attenuation with water pre-bottling as it was occasionally a tad spicy, though rarely unpleasantly so, at 53%.

Overall, this was never really going to be my style, but I thought it was a good example of a balanced sherry-forward whisky.