OckhamsFolly
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2009
- Messages
- 18
So, a few months ago, some of my local BOTLs and I decided we wanted to do a "scotch of the month" sort of deal where we all chip in for a bottle of something with a price tag that we aren't comfortable with paying individually. Our local B&M allows bringing in our own bottles to drink (within reason), so we get to smoke fine sticks and drink fine liquor every month.... gotta love those days, right?
So today's scotch was The Glenlivet Archive 21 year old Speyside single malt. It was a surprisingly reddish amber in the bottle, and the nose was very fruity, almost floral- I would say it smelled of raspberries. The taste was similarly sweet, but not in a "berry" sort of way- more like a good syrup over light woody tones. We had some disagreements on the wood- some said oakey, but I thought it tasted more of maple wood. It was an exceptionally smooth scotch, with very little burn. It was also probably the least smokey single malt that I've had myself. The finish was much more of the wood than the fruit, but still pleasant and also light- it was not a finish that lingered overlong.
For a cigar pairing, I chose the Oliva Special S Small Diadema. Since the scotch was fairly light in body, I didn't want to select something that would overpower the drink. The Special S was a good choice- it was smooth enough, and the wood and fruit tones of the earlier part of the cigar meshed well with the flavors of the scotch. The final third was less woody (predictable, since it isn't sheathed in cedar), and a bit less sweet- more of a cinnamon than a fruit flavor. Since by the time I had gotten to the final third I was done drinking the scotch, the change of pace was very welcome and provided a nice cap to the experience.
Overall, unless you really prefer a peaty scotch, I would highly recommend the Glenlivet Archive, if you have no problem with the $140 price tag. Although different from what I'm used to, it was still very good, and very easy to drink. If it weren't for the price, I would say it'd be an excellent starter scotch- I think it would be very accessible and enjoyable to someone new to scotch, but I know when I first started drinking scotch I wasn't willing to spend that much on a bottle (and I'm still not, since I only paid a share of the cost).
Anyone else like this scotch? What cigar do you like to pair with it?
So today's scotch was The Glenlivet Archive 21 year old Speyside single malt. It was a surprisingly reddish amber in the bottle, and the nose was very fruity, almost floral- I would say it smelled of raspberries. The taste was similarly sweet, but not in a "berry" sort of way- more like a good syrup over light woody tones. We had some disagreements on the wood- some said oakey, but I thought it tasted more of maple wood. It was an exceptionally smooth scotch, with very little burn. It was also probably the least smokey single malt that I've had myself. The finish was much more of the wood than the fruit, but still pleasant and also light- it was not a finish that lingered overlong.
For a cigar pairing, I chose the Oliva Special S Small Diadema. Since the scotch was fairly light in body, I didn't want to select something that would overpower the drink. The Special S was a good choice- it was smooth enough, and the wood and fruit tones of the earlier part of the cigar meshed well with the flavors of the scotch. The final third was less woody (predictable, since it isn't sheathed in cedar), and a bit less sweet- more of a cinnamon than a fruit flavor. Since by the time I had gotten to the final third I was done drinking the scotch, the change of pace was very welcome and provided a nice cap to the experience.
Overall, unless you really prefer a peaty scotch, I would highly recommend the Glenlivet Archive, if you have no problem with the $140 price tag. Although different from what I'm used to, it was still very good, and very easy to drink. If it weren't for the price, I would say it'd be an excellent starter scotch- I think it would be very accessible and enjoyable to someone new to scotch, but I know when I first started drinking scotch I wasn't willing to spend that much on a bottle (and I'm still not, since I only paid a share of the cost).
Anyone else like this scotch? What cigar do you like to pair with it?
