GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

George Smith, a well-known illicit distiller in Glenlivet and a tenant of the Duke of Gordon, was the first person to acquire a licence under the 1823 Excise Act.

 He went into production on his farm at Upper Drummin, much to the smugglers, who attempted to burn down his small distillery, seeing him as a turncoat. 

The laird of Aberlour gave him a pair of pistols to defend himself By the late 1820s his whisky was being represented by Andrew Usher & Co of Edinburgh, and by the 1850s Glenlivet was so famous that many other distillers had attached the appellation to their own products. In partnership with his son, James Gordon Smith. George built a larger Glenlivet Distillery nearby at Minmore in 1858.

 In 1880, JG Smith was obliged io take legal action against other distilleries using the Glenlivet name.

The court ruled that no other whisky could be The Glenlivet' although the name could be used as a suffix. By the turn of the century The Glenlivet had become the epitome of excellence, reflected today in its position as one of the world's top sellers.

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especially in the US. Still a family concern Glenlivet was amalgamated with Glen Grant distillery in 1953 and with Longmorn in 1970, and the whole group was acquired by Seagrams in 1977. 

GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

A visitor centre was opened in 1978 in a barley loft in the oldest pan of the distillery, and welcomes about 80,000 visitors a year. It was extensively refurbished in 1996/97. with a multi-media exhibition and interactive presentation, ceilidh space, restaurant and shop, and is now one of the largest and best equipped distillery visitor facilities in Scotland. 'The Glenlivet' is bottled at 12, 18 and 21 Years, and a non-aged Archive bottling was recently introduced. Gordon & Macphail bottles The Glenlivet at a wide range of other years. 

The expression at 18 Years won Best Single Malt over 15 years and Most Outstanding Single Malt in the 1995 IWSC, and a gold medal in 1996.

TastingNotes    GLENLIVET DISTILLERY

Prop @ 12 Years: Pale gold colour with sherry immediately apparent on the nose, but not so much as to mask the delicate floral, malty and spice notes. With water it becomes sweeter, with some vanilla and baking notes. All very well integrated. The mouthfeel is smooth and clean, with a sweetish start, some honey and light fruit, and a dryish finish.

Prop @18 Years (43%): Deep amber with bronze highlights, a rich and rather complex nose, with layers of aromas - sherry, almonds,sage, spice, dried fruits and hedgerow flowers. It has a big smooth body with some fragrant smoke. The flavour of this malt is full and medium-sweet, with some light toffee notes; it is delicately smoky with a dry finish.



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