The Drink: A Toast to Summer

The Drink: A Toast to Summer

As you get ready for that dream summer vacation, whether that's heading to the beach or up the mountains, ask yourself, what goes great with salty ocean spray or smoky campfires? Toast the arrival of summer with these rich, elegant Scotch whiskys.

Aberlour 12 Year

Color – Golden amber with hints of ruby

Nose – Soft and rounded with fruity notes of red apple

Palate – A fine Sherried character, fruity aromas balanced with rich chocolate

Finish – Warm and lingering. Sweet and spicy

The 12-year-old expression is a fine example of how the distinctively crisp, citrus character of Aberlour's new distillate is deftly softened by double cask maturation. Traditional oak and seasoned sherry butts are both used to great effect, as the mellowed spirits within are combined to deliver a subtly balanced flavor.

Aberlour A’Bunadh

Color – Auburn gold

Nose – Aromas of mixed spices, praline and spiced orange harmonizing with rich, deep notes of Oloroso Sherry

Palate – Orange, black cherries, dried fruit and ginger spiked with dark bitter chocolate and enriched with Sherry and oak. Full bodied and creamy

Finish – Robust and intense with bittersweet notes of exotic spices, dark chocolate and oak

Meaning "the original" in Gaelic, A'bunadh is made in homage to Aberlour's founder, James Fleming. A’bunadh is a whisky handmade from start to finish with each batch being created to ensure a rich and complex flavor of moist raisin and homemade fruit cake. It is bottled at cask strength, resulting in a robust and deeply intense, Sherried whisky.

Glenlivet 15 Year

Cask – French Limousin Oak

Flavor – Sweet fruits, delicate spice

Color – Deep, intense gold

Nose – Creamy, rich, buttery

Palate – Fruit and nut

Finish – Lingering, sweet almond and spice

Enjoy with – Full-flavored venison dishes

The 15-year-old gets its distinctive rich and exotic character from a process of selective maturation in which a proportion of the spirit is matured in French oak casks. In fact, Glenlivet was one of the first to use French oak for making whisky, a technique that has since been imitated the world over. The Limousin oak they use is cut in France’s Dordogne region, where it’s often used to mature cognacs. Its low density allows whisky to sink deep into the wood, and they carefully control how long the whisky matures in the casks so as not to overpower the desired result: a unique, pleasing spiciness.

Glenlivet 18 Year

Cask – First and Second Fill American Oak and ex-Sherry casks

Flavor – Ripe citrus, winter spice

Color – Old gold, apricot

Nose – Rich fruit, toffee

Palate – Balanced, bursts of sweet orange

Finish – Long, with raisins and spice

Enjoy with – Filet mignon and foie gras

Over the course of 18 years Glenlivet's master distiller, Alan Winchester, takes this expression through a combination of cask types, including both first and second-fill American oak (for tropical fruitiness) and ex-sherry oak (for spicy complexity). The result of this deft navigation of the distilling arts is a gorgeous single malt that is complex, yet elegant and balanced. The 18-year-old has won more awards than any other expression; every bottle is a true example of the quality and taste of The Glenlivet. Any bottle deserves pride of place in your cabinet— perhaps to be held back for a fitting occasion? It is, after all, crafted to impress.

Glenlivet 21 Year

Cask – American Oak and ex-Sherry Oak

Flavor – Full-bodied, warming, dried fruits, spice

Color – Amber, coppery shades

Nose – Dried fruit, sherry

Palate – Cinnamon, ginger, syrupy mouthfeel

Finish – Lasting and warm, toasted hazlenuts

Enjoy with – Rich desserts of chocolate and fruit

Meticulously crafted over its 21 years, this whisky is put through a combination of hand-selected American oak and ex-sherry casks, which impart the distinctive flavor of dried fruits and a bold richness, vibrant intensity and long finish. Each cask is hand-selected and individually nosed and approved, and every batch has its own special nuances, making it a rare and unique liquid indeed. Aromas are beautifully melded, resonant with dried fruit from the sherry cask, but with spicy hints of cinnamon and ginger. Colored an enticing rich amber, with shimmering shades of copper, the finish of this prestigious expression is long and warm.

Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve

Cask – Traditional Oak and American First Fill

Flavor – Creamy sweetness and zesty fruits

Color – Pale Gold

Nose – Citrus fruit, sweet orange

Palate – Zesty orange, pear, toffee apples

Finish – Long, creamy, smooth

Enjoy with – Light dishes of salmon

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 air, The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is as smooth and fruity as the whisky that first ran from the original copper pot stills. These unique, lantern-shaped copper stills, designed by the man himself, are not the only important tools in their distilling legacy. The traditional oak casks in which we mature the whisky give each expression its own distinct characteristics. When George Smith began distilling, The Glenlivet had no age statements and he selected whisky from casks of a range of ages. They 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 flavor of the expression, master distiller Alan Winchester marries together a selection of the aged oak casks and American first-fill oak casks. American first-fill oak casks are those that have never before been used to mature whisky. Selective use of these casks provides a smooth, creamy sweetness that mingles harmoniously with the delicate flavors and complex fruity tones already present in the whisky.

Glenlivet Nadurra

Cask – First Fill Oloroso Sherry Oak

Flavor – Dried Fruits, warm spices

Color – Bright gold

Nose – Dried fruit, raisins, apricots, cinnamon, liquorice

Palate – smooth and creamy, spicy orange marmalade, dark chocolate

Finish – long and sweet, slightly dry and spicy

Enjoy with – Spicy Jambalaya

The Nàdurra range uses traditional 19th-century production methods to create inventive and original whiskies. This version is matured in first-fill Oloroso sherry oak casks from the Spanish region of Jerez. The sherry-soaked wood introduces the rich, sultry flavours of dried fruit and warm spice. Nàdurra Oloroso, like all expressions in the range, is bottled and released in small batches, and, unlike most modern whiskies, is non-chill-filtered so has all the body you would expect from a whisky that has been drawn straight from the cask. It’s a bright, vivacious gold liquid, with aromas of dried fruit and spice. To drink, it’s smooth and creamy with chocolate and marmalade. This is a divine example of what happens when you bring together Spanish passion and Speyside tradition. This whisky is all about using traditions to achieve modern brilliance. The Nàdurra Oloroso is also bottled at 48 percent for travel retail.