The Glenlivet French Oak Reserve

The Glenlivet 15 yo French Oak Reserve, 750ML, box packaging, 80 proof, available nationwide, about $50.



It has not been a great week and it doesn't look to get much better any time soon but one can't dwell on it and have it run (or is that ruin?) everything. With that in mind I went out to the garage, turned on the heat poured the last of my bottle of French Oak Reserve in my glass took notes for this review and then fired up a PSD4 with a few years on it. Here is the result of my efforts.

The Glenlivet French Oak Reserve is the upgrade of the old 12 yo French Oak Finish which isn't made any longer. Unlike most scotch which uses old bourbon casks for maturation this uses a selective maturation in new Limousin French Oak casks, usually reserved for wine. "This has added delicate overtones of the spices highly prized in fine wines, while perfectly complementing the subtle elegance of the original malt," explains Jim Cryle, Master Distiller at The Glenlivet Distillery.

The color in the glass is a pale straw which does seem to be a bit lighter then the standard 12 yo but that fits since the French Oak casks aren't charred like the old bourbon casks. The nose hints at apples and flowers with muted spices floating together. The taste is medium firm with cinnamon, malt and apples in the mix but refined and subtle. The finish is smooth with a slight hint of cherries way at the back of the tongue and it lasts a medium length of time.

A distinct improvement over the 12 yo and a solid performer that does well with French Oak while being an interesting edition for anyone looking for something a bit different.

Thanks for the review. I like this Scotch quite a bit. I tend to smoke Cameroon wrapped cigars like the Fuente Hemingway line when I drink a glass (or two) of this whisky.

I had a glass of this recently and thought it was pretty damn good. Excellent review as always.

Thanks for the review. It sounds like this could be an interesting scotch to try. I'm not a big fan of the "standard" Glenlivet 12, and the Glenlivet Nadurra was only marginally better. If I happen to see this available somewhere by the glass (not likely in my area) I may try it, but I don't see myself buying a whole bottle.

Interesting review to say the least. It makes sense that a charred cask would impact color but I never put the two together. I've considered this bottle many times but so far this one has escaped me. I do enjoy their 18 year old and will no doubt add abottle of this to my little collection one day. Right now my scotch money is going to Balvenie. As always, thanks for taking the time.

Great review. I am a fan of the Glenlivet range.

I just picked up a bottle of this today, and am planning on trying it tomorrow. I noticed that the bottle I have is 80 proof, while AVB has it listed as 86. Is that a misprint, or are there different proofs for different markets?

Not different proofs, just a mistake that I fixed now.

Qualls07 said:

I just picked up a bottle of this today, and am planning on trying it tomorrow. I noticed that the bottle I have is 80 proof, while AVB has it listed as 86. Is that a misprint, or are there different proofs for different markets?

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info...I almost bought a bottle the other day but wasn't sure how it was. Looks like a trip to the store is in order.

This is pretty good, I had some over the summer at the Tigers game while enjoying a Camacho cigar.

I just finished the last of my bottle last week, this is one of my favorites in their line. Glenlivet is usually my go to scotch. Great review as usual even though I just got a bottle of The Macallan Cask Strength yesterday.

I saw in the store I went to yesterday had it on sale for $44.