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Glenlivet 12yr Illicit Stills
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Distiller:
Glenlivet
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Bottler:
Glenlivet
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ABV:
48%
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Age:
12 years
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Price:
$$$$$
- Raided Score: 90
- Publication: WhiskeyRaiders
- Excerpt: I like the direction this is headed, and appreciate both keeping the age statement and increasing the proof, but some better cask selection would surely have done wonders here in promoting this from very good.
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- Raided Score: 86
- Publication: Distiller
- Excerpt: This is very much a modern whisky paying homage to the early days of the distillery's existence.
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- Raided Score: 90
- Publication: Drink Hacker
- Excerpt: Illicit Still doesn’t break the Glenlivet mold, but the higher proof does allow it to express the best of Glenlivet’s DNA more aggressively and fully. Solid stuff.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Intro:
Distilled by Glenlivet, and bottled with a 12yr age statement, this higher proof release noted 'Illicit Stills' was produced as an homage to the days where not all distilling was strictly legal in Scotland. Available for around $35 or so. Let's dig in.
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Nose:
Sweet plum, apricot, honey, almond and rich toffee. Interesting complexity, heather, honey character to it.
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Taste:
Sweet cream, toffee, a buttery sweetness and a touch of fig. Interesting. The proof works well here, an oily mouthfeel comes along with the plum and pastry character.
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Finish:
Short finish, the ethanol rears its head here. A touch of grain, some sweet plum and fig, caramel and toffee, before some bitterness enters.
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Overall:
Interesting but not exceptional, the bump in proof does wonders for the nose and palate but the finish just can't keep up. I like the direction this is headed, and appreciate both keeping the age statement and increasing the proof, but some better cask selection would surely have done wonders here in promoting this from very good.
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Score:
6
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources