Glenlivet Nadurra Peated Cask Finish Cask Strength Single Malt Scotch Whisky (700ml)

Note: Box has come from a private collection and as such has some minor scuffing/scratches/handling marks.

A style not associated with this distillery. This is the third release from the "Nadurra" collection and represents a throwback to Glenlivet's past when peat smoke was used to dry the malted barley. A variation on the smoking process rather than a traditionally peated whisky, this was matured in first-fill ex-bourbon casks before a finishing period in casks that previously held heavily peated Speyside malt whisky. Like the other Nadurras this is small batch, non chill filtered and all natural.

Tasting note: [BATCH PW0715 tasted] Bright gold. Balsamic fades to distant smoke in the opening scents but the later focus is stewed fruits, in particular pear / apple along with cinnamon and nutmeg. Fabulous balance at cask strength. Low key peat with the latent, vanilla-soaked fruitiness bursting through as poached pear and apple amid the toasted muesli. The peat emerges at the finish in subtle lanolin / smouldering cedar undertones but it's cocoa & fruit notes that linger and win out. For lovers of the Nadurra series, this packs much of the power and style of the 16YO. For peat lovers the smoke might barely register. 61.5% Alc./Vol.

Other reviews... the fact that this is simply the side effect of peat cask finishing, the ultra-delicate nature of Glenlivet's malt, is clearly underlined.
95.5 points - Jim Murrays Whisky Bible 2019