Glenlivet 18 Year Review – Batch Reserve

Distillery: Glenlivet

Region: Banffshire, Scotland

Aging: 18 Years

ABV: 40%

Proof: 80

Price: $160

Appearance: Light Amber

Glenlivet 18 Year Tasting Notes

Nose: Caramel and toffee, vanilla, raisin, chocolate

Palate: Raisin, spices, oak, light caramel and vanilla, anis and black licorice

Finish: Extremely smooth, but still long. The finish doesn’t have much heat but lingers in your mouth with notes of raisin, caramel, and spices flavors

Is Glenlivet 18 Year Approachable?

Glenlivet 18 year is a very easy-to-drink and approachable Scotch whisky. It offers a lot of balanced flavors and has little to no burn.

Is Glenlivet 18 Year Complex?

Glenlivet 18 Year is a very layered and complex whisky. You get the fruit notes similar to the 14 and 15 year expressions, but the 18 year offers additional oak flavors, more caramel notes, and a unique level of spices that I can’t quite pinpoint, but I enjoy.

What are Glenlivet 18 Year’s strongest attributes/flavors?

Glenlivet 18 Year’s strongest attribute is its complexity and balance. Not only does it have a wide range of flavors, but none of them trample over the others. On each sip, you will notice a new flavor and you will continue to try to pinpoint exactly what you enjoy about this one.

Is Glenlivet 18 Year a go-to whisky?

This could easily be a go-to whisky if you have the money. It’s incredibly easy to drink, offers a high level of complexity, and contains flavors I could easily see myself coming back to over and over.

Is Glenlivet 18 Year priced accurately to its quality?

When I first purchased this bottle (Early 2022) I found it on sale from $120 down to $90. I brought it home, tasted it, and immediately went back to the store and bought two more bottles. I then bought it for my friends as gifts because I enjoyed it so much. However, it seems the price has bumped up pretty significantly and it now costs $160 in my area.

If you can find this bottle at the $120 price range, I do think it is worth the price tag. However, at the $160 tag, I’d have a little tougher time justifying the purchase and would have to reserve this one for just special occasions.

We have reviewed every bottle of the Glenlivet lineup of 11 bottles and compared exactly which bottles are best and which are worth the price tag. You can read our full comprehensive Glenlivet Review to decide which bottle you should buy.

I hope you enjoyed this tasting experience with me.

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Thanks for reading and cheers!