Edition Spirits Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Edition Spirits ‘The First Editions’ Braes of Glenlivet 1993? (24 year old) 54.9%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead?/ Code: EDI0216/ Dist: 1993? Btl: 2017/ Tasted: Mar 2017

A dusty and mature nose with a profusion of very herbal accented baked fruit, marzipan and gently oxidised apricot. Pleasantly balanced by a fresh sprit character. With time hints of malt, honey, loam and damp wood notes appear.

Mature, malty and oily on the palate with old wood spice, herbs, manure, barley, straw and apricot. A hot on the middle and finish with a touch of baked, herbal fruit, honey and minerals. Lovely liquorice and herbal finish, but overall it feels a little too old.

Carn Mor Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Carn Mor Strictly Limited Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (25 year old) 45%

Bourbon Hogshead/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Mar 2015

A mature nose of dried barley, dried grass and dusty, earthy spices. Hints of lightly oiled, macerated apricot, coffee and subtle vanilla oak emerge.

The palate opens with the gentle vanilla notes and a touch of toffee. A touch of dried barley and grass follows. Good depth and length with lingering mature fruit notes

Douglas Laing Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Douglas Laing Directors Cut Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (25 year old) 60.3%

Refill Bourbon Hogshead/ Code: DIR0093/ DL10350

Dist: May 1989 Btl: June 2014/ Tasted: Aug 2014

A wonderfully mature and dusty nose with pure vanilla pod and warming spice. Lightly herbal with a touch of camphor and thyme becoming apparent. Some soft, damp wood notes emerge along with malt, baked fruit and gritty, grainy coffee.

The palate is dry and herbal, opening with a touch of lemon custard and woody spice. The malt comes through on the middle along with a touch of treacle. The balance is amazing given its high abv. Soft, oily, malty with a touch of barley husks, toffee and praline in the finish.

A drop of water emphasises the herbal and dark malty notes on the nose, whilst on the palate it sweetens and allows the dark honey to become quite prominent. This has a beautiful texture in the mouth with the herbal and spice notes battling it out in the finish.

Gordon & MacPhail’s Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Gordon & MacPhail Braes of Glenlivet 1975 (33 year old) 43%

Refill American Hogsheads/ Dist: June 1975 Btl: June 2008/ Tasted: Jan 2013

A lovely, oily and mature nose. Initially the aromas are quite grassy with some moist apricot and an almost gristy character, which is amazing given its age. It has some delightful sugared moments along with hints of lightly creamy and sawdusty oak. With time hints of raisinated fruit and spice appear. 

The palate is fresh and lightly oiled, beginning with gentle vanilla with flecks of toffee. Lightly grassy on the middle with some soft apricot and barley. It has a lovely, fresh intensity, which again is impressive considering its age; in fact you would have thought it was only half that age. Lovely, dry spice finish with a very light bittering from the wood, but the moist fruit return to offset. Lip smackingly good!

Robert Graham Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Robert Graham Braes of Glenlivet 18 year old 40%

Bourbon Cask/ Tasted: July 2009

Intense, deep, brittle barley aromas with light honey and a saline note. Lovely hints of liquid orange, sweet earth and spices. Delightful. The palate is light and honeyed. Seems younger. Lovley delicacy and depth with hints of vanilla oak. Good length with hints of Sauvignon Blanc-esque grass and citrus.

Dewar Rattray Braes of Glenlivet Tasting Notes

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Braes of Glenlivet 1989 (18year old) 60.2%

Bourbon cask 962/ Dist: 1989 Btl: 2007/ Tasted: Apr 2008

A full, rich and astonishingly deep nose of malty, earthy honey. Distinctly robust and rounded with hints of sawdust and vanilla. Some light perfumed top notes develop as do the oak vanillins. To finish there is a late hint of peat, smoke and violets.

The palate is as rich as the nose suggests, dripping in mature, honeyed fruit with a lovely earthy, malty quality. The alcohol although quiet high only really pops its head above the fruity morass towards the finish, yet it is wonderfully kept in check by the barley accentuated fruit.

A drop of water surprisingly makes no difference to the nose, but it brings out a slight toffee-caramel note on the palate. Wonderfully mouth filling and departs leaving a pleasant oily coating.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Braes of Glenlivet 1994 (18 year old) 54.1%

Bourbon Cask 159180/ Dist: Dec 1994 Btl: Jan 2013/ Tasted: Feb 2013

A lovely, lush and tropical nose with pineapple, banana and loads of fleshy, honeyed fruit and sawdusty oak. This is a serious fruit fest of a nose supplemented with hints of barley, grass, light citrus and heavily perfumed white flowers. Seriously deep and gently spiced too.

The palate is soft, lightly oiled, subtler and gentler than the nose. The oak is holding back the tropical fruit, but it’s still there and wonderfully honeyed and mature. Lovely length with the honey lingering augmented by hints of grass and light oils.

With water it brings out some pepper and more grassy notes on the nose, whilst on the palate it becomes a little creamier as the oak mellows a touch. Less intense maybe but showing more earthy spice.

Dewar Rattray ‘Individual Cask Bottling’ Braes of Glenlivet 1994 (18 year old) 55.9%

Bourbon Cask 159178/ Dist: 1984 Btl: Oct 2013/ Tasted: Nov 2013

The nose opens with an intensity of coffee grains, malt and light treacle along with hints of perfumed honey, barley, coconut and dusty oak. Beautiful and poised with the oak becoming quite fudgy.

The palate is soft but slightly grainy with hints of oxidised dried fruit, malt, barley and coffee. Quite fresh and piquant on the middle with hints of coconut and barley sugar. Long, lightly spiced finish with a gentle perfumed after-taste.

With water the nose becomes very perfumed with lavender, lemon, apricot and musky white flowers. It still retains some of its honeyed richness and lightly fudgy oak. The palate has been completely transformed. It’s very gewürztraminer-esque with perfumed rose water and lightly oiled Turkish delight. With time the fudgy oak becomes a little dominating.