Glenlivet Nadurra 16 Year Old

Spirit Name: Spirit Type:	Glenlivet Nadurra 16 Year Old Batch No: 19119 Single malt
Score:	87/100
ABV:	53%
Region:	Speyside, Scotland
Body:	Medium-full
Intensity:	Medium-high
Texture:	Medium-oily
Balance:	Heavenly
Best served: Filtration: Cask/Barrel:	Neat   Non-chill filtered  First fill ex-bourbon casks
Summary:	A vibrant and punchy whisky, on the palate it offers crisp yellow stone fruit, golden apple and strawberry chocolate with sharp tartness and the finish of drying oak, the vapour of alcohol and chocolate bullets
Tasting notes:	"Nadurra" means 'natural' in the Gaelic language. This appropriately sums up this whisky which is bottled at 'natural strength' after 16 years of maturation in American oak first fill ex-bourbon casks. The use of the Gaelic language is declining in Scotland to the point that its use may one day be confined to teaching history or selling whisky. To the 1% of Scots who speak Gaelic, I can relate, as the language taught to me by my grandparents and great grandparents is also on the road to extinction (and that language is, ta da, Neapolitan... you couldn't tell from my name?). I am glad to see that The Glenlivet (along with many other distilleries) is proudly using the Gaelic language on its products, so now, lets turn to tasting the Nadurra shall we? Nose: Sharp fruit notes pierce the nose, with a tartness that resembles under-ripe Granny Smith apples. Some cereal notes develop with hints of vanilla and gooey caramel oozing out of a chocolate block. The fructose develops into orange, morphing with the chocolate and vanilla into what I identify as Terry’s Chocolate Orange as the vapour of rubbing alcohol adds some rawness with the barley. Taste: Deliciously piercing, there are few whiskies that offer this level of complexity and power. Sometimes a whisky can simply blast the palate like a cannon ball, but this particular expression offers a surge of character that gradually unfurls into varying shades of yellow stone fruit and golden delicious apple (cooked and raw), strawberry filled chocolate with a gooey sugary center and cereal rich vanilla. It has big oak notes that tingle on the palate, drying it with the alcohol.  Finish: Dry and warming with oak notes that radiate chocolate bullets.
Likes:	A complex nose is followed by a crisp whisky that strikes the palate with diverse fruit notes
Dislikes:
Price:	$110 (US), £50 (UK)