Merry Christmas! Traditionally we dig into our sample archive and look for a very old whisky (like this or this). Today we’re celebrating with a bottle that the guys at Abyss in Hong Kong opened some time ago. It’s a Glenlivet 17 Year Old Unblended All Malt.
The bottle is quite typical of Glenlivet from the 1970s. Especially the 12 Year Old version is fairly common. An 18 Year Old was also available back then. However this particular bottle seems to be a private bottling. The back label says This Highland Malt Whisky has been specially bottled for Mr. William O. Hunt. The name William Hunt (from Chicago, probably a retailer?) also occurs on other Glenlivet bottles. Also on the back label is the distillation date (29th October 1958) and the fact that it is a single cask.
Glenlivet 17 yo 1958 (100 Proof, OB for William O. Hunt +/- 1975, cask #2488)
Nose: lovely elegance with plenty of subtleties. There is some herbal liqueur, tobacco and savoury sherry notes. Dark nuts and dried prunes. Some ripe apple underneath, but also herbal sauce with laurel. Then just a hint of menthol cigarettes and cigars.
Mouth: quite soft, with nice caramelized nuts and roasted walnuts, some tea leaves and mild pepper. There’s a very soft smoky layer in the distance. Also mint sauce, faint grassy elements and some herbal liqueur again. Then a brighter fruity note in the background, along with a light hint of mead. No dryness or astringency at all, it remains very fresh.
Finish: far longer than I expected. More on tobacco and dark tea, with a lingering dark sweetness.
Great whisky from an old bottle. It may have lost a bit of oomph but it’s still in very good shape, offering a lot of elegance and a balanced sherry influence. Enjoy the holiday season, cheers!