| Whiskey | Glenlivet 12 Year Jamaica Edition |
| Distillery | Glenlivet Distillery |
| Region | Banffshire, Scotland |
| Type | Scotch |
| Mash Bill | 100% Malted Barley |
| Proof / ABV | 80 Proof / 40% ABV |
| Aging | 12 Years |
| Filtration | Chill Filtered |
| MSRP Price | $60 |
| Release Year | 2025 |
Why I'm Excited To Try Glenlivet Jamaica Edition
In 2023, I visited Jamaica and had an amazing time.
My good friend Chuck who helped get me into writing these whiskey reviews was having a birthday and we decided to go on a cruise hosted by Dice Tower which is a community all about board games.
They host a Carribean cruise every year and since my friend Chuck loves board games, this would be an excellent way to celebrate his birthday.
One of the stops on the cruise was Jamaica and it was absolutely beautiful.
We sipped on rum cocktails made in fresh-cracked coconuts, relaxed on the crystal clear water beaches, and even rafted down the Martha Brae River.
We told our rafting tour guide we were celebrating Chuck’s birthday so halfway through our excursion he starting singing as we floated down the river.
He was the best tour guide and I really appreciated him singing for Chuck so after the tour when we were about to get back into the tour bus, I made sure to give him a great tip and the moment I did he said, “Hold on one moment.”
He walked away toward the fields and I didn’t think much of it until a few minutes later he returned and told us he broke us off some pieces of raw sugar cane for us to taste.
He gave us each a piece and told us to take a bite of the sugar cane, chew it, and then spit the leftover “stem” out.
So we each took a bite of our sugar cane.
It was one of the most delicious sugars I have ever tasted and I will never forget the flavor.
Now I knew why Jamaican Rum was so delicious.
All that to say that I am very excited to taste this Jamaican Rum edition of Glenlivet – a combination of this great memory with one of my favorite go-to Scotch Whisky Distilleries.
So let’s get into the review.
Glenlivet Jamaica Edition Tasting Notes
Appearance: Golden Honey
Nose: Sweet honey, vanilla, rich fruits, apricot, crisp green apple, raisin, tropical fruit, mango, cantaloupe, light oak, notes of brown sugar, caramel, and cinnamon
Palate: Delicious fruits, apple, apricot, tropical fruit, cinnamon, rich honey, caramel, brown sugar, light oak, hints of black pepper spice
Finish: Extremely smooth finish with a bit of a drying oak sensation – leaves you with delicious fruit flavors, honey sweetness, and oak spice
Is Glenlivet Jamaica Edition an Approachable Whiskey?
Glenlivet Jamaica Edition is an absolutely delicious Scotch whisky.
It offers a ton of flavors that would be very welcoming to a beginner to whiskey but also offers more than enough variety in flavor to satisfy experienced whiskey drinkers.
I would probably go so far as to say that this would be an excellent introduction to anyone considering jumping into Scotch whisky.
Is Glenlivet Jamaica Edition Complex?
Glenlivet Jamaica edition has a few layers of complexity and depth of flavor, but it’s not as refined as the higher end bottles like Glenlivet 15, Glenlivet 18, and Glenlivet 21.
This makes sense because the longer the whisky is aged – the smoother it gets.
With that being said, this bottle has excellent complexity for its price point.
You get all the traditional Glenlivet flavors like sweet honey, rich fruits, and vanilla with an additional layer of Jamaican Rum like brown sugar and cinnamon.
One thing that I will have to note is that I do not get a massive flavor of Jamaican sugar cane in this pour.
I get a nice amount of sugar sweetness, but it doesn’t feel like the true Jamaican sugar cane flavors have been infused into the Scotch.
My guess for this is that the whiskey was either:
- Not aged in a barrel that held a bold Jamaican sugarcane forward rum
- Was not aged for an extended period in the Jamaican Rum barrels
- Only a portion of the batch was actually finished in Jamaican Rum Casks
- The rum used in this release was refined down to the molasses/brown sugar flavor notes I’m getting
This isn’t a major issue, but I was quite excited to see if I got a dominant pure Jamaican sugar cane flavor note here.
Despite that, I can still tell that the rum barrels did infuse a sugar sweetness to this edition.
What are Glenlivet Jamaica Edition’s strongest attributes/flavors?
Glenlivet Jamaica Edition’s strongest attribute is that it offers delicious flavors while also being incredibly smooth and easy to drink.
In comparison to the base Glenlivet 12 Year and the Glenlivet Carribean Reserve, this 12 Year Glenlivet offers a massive jump in flavor and quality.
Is Glenlivet Jamaica Edition a go-to whiskey?
Yes, I could drink this all day.
It’s smooth and has delicious tropical fruit flavors from the Jamaican Rum casks and the additional brown sugar sweet the rum barrels offer really create a whisky that would be a go-to pour for me.
Since it is a limited-release bottle, I will probably hold back on drinking this one too quickly and reserve it for special occasions when I want to compare against future Glenlivet bottles.
It feels to me like this may be part of a new series where Glenlivet experiments with new finishes on their classic Glenlivet 12 Year bottle.
If so, I will definitely be looking forward to more of these releases.
Is Glenlivet Jamaica Edition priced accurately to its quality?
Glenlivet Jamaica Edition is priced perfectly.
It is a little more expensive than their entry level Glenlivet 12 Year and the Glenlivet 12 Year Carribean Reserve (about $15-25 more) but I think it is absolutely worth the extra cash.
To be honest, I don’t buy the other Glenlivet 12 Year’s often because I always think the Glenlivet 15 Year is worth the extra money.
Also, the Glenlivet 15 Year is one of my top 3 go-to whiskeys so that says a lot about the quality of this bottle.
Glenlivet chose the right price point for this one and I’m very satisfied with my purchase.
Conclusion for Glenlivet Jamaica Edition (12 Year)
Overall, Glenlivet did an excellent job with this bottle.
It is a delicious whisky that is an excellent balance of the classic Glenlivet flavor profile enhanced by the Jamaican Rum finish.
I would be very curious to know exactly which rum they finished this whisky in.
When it comes to Jamaican rums, I tend to think of Smith & Cross, Hampden Estate, or Appleton Estate.
And while I would have loved to get a bit more of the pure Jamaican sugar cane flavor on this pour, I’m extremely happy with the sweet brown sugar flavor notes that I am getting.
If you see this bottle on the shelf and you’re a fan of Glenlivet Scotch whisky, pick it up and let us know what you think.
We don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
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