This new, limited release whisky has spent 36 long years in cask (one sherry cask and two American oak barrels have been blended together), waiting for just the right amount of time to get from oak into the bottle and from there into your belly.

This is a whisky that feels just about perfect, cooled by time but still racy and alive. The nose is smooth and a bit malty, with citrus and sherry sweetness. There’s heat on the body — it’s 98 proof, after all — but it’s perfectly drinkable even without water.

From there, complexity abounds. Candied orange peel and deep sherry notes are present, then they fade into a melange of baking spices. Deliciously sweet, but not cloying, it ends with a zippy orange tang imbued with allspice and cinnamon that stretches for minutes and warms the soul.

Perhaps Glenlivet’s finest to date. 240 bottles available in the U.S.

98 proof.

A / $1250 / theglenlivet.com

The Glenlivet Cellar Collection 1973

$1250

9.5

Rating

9.5/10

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