The Glenlivet Nadurra 16yo (batch #0512T) (54.3%): I found this bottle recently on a store shelf in West Hollywood collecting dust and purchased it right away. Fully matured in first fill ex-bourbon casks for 16 years, bottled in May 2012 and carries the batch number 0512T. By the way "nadurra" means natural in Gaelic in case you wonder. It is bottled at cask strength and has not been chill filtered.
Color: Bright yellow gold.
Nose: A beautiful huge fresh fruit bowl... Freshly sliced Bosc and Anjou pears, honeydew and cantaloupe pieces, pineapple chunks, you name it. Green table grapes, underripe bananas and vanilla extract. Whipped cream and strawberries. If you can manage to get over the fruit mania you start to detect perfumy and citrusy aromas: Chocolate covered candied orange peel, maple wood, shaved fennel and fresh ginger. Dried flowers, lavender and candle wax. With a few drops of water: Orange soda, clementine slices and gummi bears. Old leather, white musk and mold. I can nose this whisky for hours...
Palate: Very malty backbone... Lemonade, coconut macaroons (double "o"), cold pear compote and Honey Crisp apple slices. Coconut shavings, canned pineapple rings and oak. Green wood and cookie dough. Adding water adds even sweeter notes... Lemon sugar cookies, cream puffs and crunchy malted barley.
Finish: Long finish with lemon curd, ground ginger and white pepper.
Overall: Definitely my kind of whisky... Malty, fruity and floral. A perfect example of how a straight forward, plain and simple ex-bourbon cask maturation is capable of when done right. It reminds me very much old ex-bourbon matured Bladnoch and Rosebank bottlings. I probably cannot find even a handful of people who would rave about this bottle as much as I did but I absolutely loved it... If you are a fan of bourbon cask maturation this whisky should be in your list, period... Now it's time to pour a second glass to sit down and enjoy...
Price: $70
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