The Glenlivet 1969 Cellar Collection was bottled in September 2006 at a natural 50.8% ABV, giving a whisky of around 37 years old. It was warmly received on release, with Whisky Advocate comparing it to the celebrated 1959 in the same series.
About This Whisky
This bottling was drawn from casks filled in 1969 and bottled on 9 September 2006, uncut at 50.8% ABV, with numbered bottles. About 800 bottles were allocated to the United States. Reviewers point to exotic fruit, spice and remarkable freshness for a whisky of this age, rather than heavy wood.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Dates, Turkish delight and light resin, then ginger, coconut and glazed orange.
- Palate: Rich and slow, with baked pineapple, caramel, hazelnut, cinnamon and allspice, held together by firm but polished oak.
- Finish: Lingering, with dried rose petal, mint and a gentle spice warmth.
Serving & Food
At cask strength this one opens up with a teaspoon of still water, served just below room temperature in a Glencairn. Allow a good quarter of an hour in the glass. Serve with dark chocolate and ginger, pecan tart, or a mature Cheddar.
How to Enjoy
Serious Speyside drinkers, and collectors after a well-regarded, cask-strength Glenlivet from the late 1960s.
Product Details
Distillery: The Glenlivet
Series: Cellar Collection
Vintage: 1969
Bottled: 9 September 2006
Age: About 37 years
Style: Speyside single malt Scotch whisky
ABV: 50.8% ABV (cask strength)
Country: Scotland
Volume: 750mL
About the Distillery
Few distilleries shaped the idea of Speyside malt as much as The Glenlivet. George Smith turned legal in 1824, becoming the first licensed distiller in the glen, and with his son John Gordon Smith built a business whose name other distillers borrowed so freely that the family eventually won the right to the definite article: The Glenlivet.
John Gordon Smith secured the water of Josie's Well, still the distillery's main source. Since 2001 the Minmore site has been run by Chivas Brothers for Pernod Ricard, and it remains one of the largest malt distilleries in Scotland.