Glenlivet Founders Reserve 700ml

Nose: Delicate aromas of citrus fruit, notably sweet orange.

Palate: Sweet, fruit notes of zesty oranges and pears, with a hint of candy, toffee apples. Well-balanced and exceptionally smooth.

Finish: Long, creamy and smooth.

Craft facts: The exceptional character of The Glenlivet spirit is apparent even before the cask ageing process begins, a result of the unique lantern shaped pot stills we use at The Glenlivet. For The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, skilful selection of casks enhances the signature fruity flavours of The Glenlivet with traditional oak casks being complemented by selective use of American first-fill casks to give a hint of creamy sweetness – creating an exceptionally well-balanced and smooth malt. The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve may be our newest expression, but it has been almost 200 years in the making. We see it as a fitting tribute to the original vision of our pioneering founder, George Smith. It captures the distinct, smooth and fruity taste that he first envisioned in 1824, and for which we are still renowned today. And because we remain as dedicated to innovation as our founder ever was, we’ve given this classic single malt a contemporary twist. To truly capture the essence of George Smith’s vision, The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve has been created using the time-honoured distillation methods that he introduced so long ago. Made with water from the same crystal-clear mountain streams, in the same cold, pure airs of Glenlivet, The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is as smooth and fruity as the whisky that first ran from the original copper pot stills back in 1824. These unique, lantern-shaped copper stills, designed by the man himself, are not the only important tools in our distilling legacy. The traditional oak casks in which we mature the whisky give each expression their own distinct characteristics. When George Smith began distilling, The Glenlivet had no age statements and he was able to select whisky from casks of a range of ages. We have replicated this freedom with The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, selecting whisky from a variety of traditional aged oak casks. Then, to lend a modern twist to the flavour of the expression, Master Distiller Alan Winchester has married together a selection of the aged oak casks and American first-fill oak casks. First-fill casks are those that have never before been used to mature whisky. In the process of making The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, selective use of these casks provides a smooth, creamy sweetness that mingles harmoniously with the delicate flavours and complex fruity tones already present in the whisky. The freedom to use a variety of casks provides Alan with inspiration for that special flavour: ‘It gives us the liberty to pick the casks that taste the best. I’m sure George would have been impressed by the choice we have today, and would have enjoyed selecting from so many casks, I know we do. We’ve tried to stay true to his original vision to create the definitive smooth Speyside malt, where quality is paramount’. The result is an exceptionally well-balanced and smooth single malt. To the nose there are delicate aromas of citrus fruit, and the palate is sweet, with notes of oranges and pears, and hints of toffee apples and candy. The long, creamy, smooth finish makes this a deliciously satisfying dram. It was our founder’s spirit of innovation that established The Glenlivet as an incomparable single malt from day one. So we’re proud to say that our new expression has taken an awfully long time to get here, dating right back to George Smith, the original man who started it all.”

40% Alc