This should become a permanent offering. I just picked up a bottle and it exceeded expectations. Truly fantastic. This could easily become a staple in my collection.
Love the straight to the point review. So tired of people giving long winded reviews with no actual value (or sharing their daily life stories). Nice to have quality / benchmark-able info. Thanks.
You are SPOT ON!!!. This is my"Whisky of the year"! Just for the fact that Glenlivet gave a nod to us enthusiasts! It is just as you reviewed it. It's so enjoyable and compared to the core range 12 it's like Glenlivet is saying "how you like me now". I did the comparison back in June, got it in May of last year (release date earlier) and have loved the example Glenlivet set for the industry. Imagine, if you will, Lagavulin 16 at 48% or Macallan any age at 48%? The world would stop spinning and...... well not that bad but just imagine if this caught on. Great review my friend..... imagine.
Not only is it refreshing and reassuring, it's totally unexpected! As much as we should reward new craft-oriented distilleries for an honest presentation, we should also show appreciation for the old guard when they opt to give us something more quality-oriented than their standard fare. More of this, please! 🥃
Thanks for this appealing review. It’s early 2022 and there’s still some available in my area. I will definitely be going and picking some up this week. I haven’t been disappointed by any of the Glenlivets I’ve had so far.
Thanks a lot! Got some friends and family coming over next week, and I was looking for a good wine, whiskey, bourbon, and tequila to serve. Just snagged this bottle after watching the review!
With this one the key lies in not thinking this is the regular 12 amped up. Glenlivet can make a thousand different 12s from different casks, even with older ones in the mix, more or less sherry influence, European or Amercan oak, etc. Just like Laphroaig 10 cask strength is not "merely" the normal 40% abv. version bottled at cs but a whole different beast. Imho the 12 Illicit Stills was concocted using significantly higher quality casks. I'd even suggest they threw in some older whisky, that's where the added complexity, the longer and wood-richer finish comes into play for me. Great dram for a great price, and as you say good for beginners and advanced drinkers as well. Compared to the high proof Nadurras this one is a bargain and wonderfully balanced.
Yeah the consensus is that it's an amped up 12, but you're right that's probably not the case. As I mentioned in the review this has so many more layers and flavours in it. Absolute banger for the price too. Did NOT see that coming from Glenlivet. Cheers and thanks for commenting! 🥃
Strange, it's nowhere to be found in my market. The few shops that I have seen it in have tripled its original price. Luckily the Licensed Dram, which I prefer, is still around for a good price. Cheers! 🥃
G, love the "Asian star fruit" reference! LOL! Most people probably don't know what you just said. As you know, I am a huge Kavalan fan; so by that, you probably know my taste preference. I have never gotten into Glenlivet. I've receive many bottles in the past as gifts. Since I am also turned off big time by Lagavulin, would you say that my taste preference sits in the Rich-hi and Smoke-medium range? What do you think about Aberfeldy?
Hah I don't know about rich-hi smoke-medium. Not sure I've ever heard those terms before. Are you not a fan of peat in general or you occasionally dabble? Aberfeldy is very neutered. Not a brand I buy, typically. Cheers Jack!
@@Gwhisky , there is a "graph" ("Cartesian plane" in math lingo) for beginners like me that plots whiskeys along two perpendicular axes based on rich-light (X-axis) and smoky-delicate (Y-axis). So, for example, whiskeys I like tend to fall in the middle of this graph, a little to the right (rich end); the Balvenie Double Wood, Oban 14, Macallan 15, Arran 14, Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or. Lagavulin, Talisker, Laphroaig are all in the upper right corner of this graph (rich and smokey). Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are both way down on the bottom part of this graph (delicate). In terms of peatiness, I am not a fan. I can appreciate it, but it's not for me (like blues music; I can appreciate it, but I much, much prefer jazz). My palate picks it up as "mediciny". My neighbor got me a bottle of Lagavulin for Christmas (also from Costco!) a couple of years ago. It's still sitting there.
As you said...the regular 12 turned up to 11...a really great dram, got a few dops left in my bottle. I have great expectations for the next in line of this series.
Agree. If they REALLY want to take the flavours back to early Glenlivet, they might just give us a peated one, as most distilleries used to use peat. Wishful thinking...
Hey Geoff! The new one, Licensed Dram is on sale in our neck of the woods now so we're gonna do a triple comparison with the standard 12 and the Illicit Still in our whisky group. Has it arrived in Taiwan and if so can we expect a comparison by you anytime soon?
Unfortunately I haven't seen it out here yet. A lot of new releases take their sweet time making it to Taiwan, so it may be a while yet. Rest assured I'll review it and at some point compare the whole series in a shootout! Cheers!
Great to find another Jeff/Geoff in the wild Whisky world. Solid dram and like you said it is Glenlivet turned up. Around £45 rrp in the UK but falls to £35 on offer which is decent value. Nice review and have subscribed for more 🥃👍
@@Gwhisky oh, I was taken with it overall even if I'd probably say 86.5 rather than 88! - I meant "pleasantly surprised" but forgot the second word! Just that the nose was the best thing :)
I love sherry bottles exclusive to taiwan. Theres almost no review videos out there for the likes of Glenlivet 13 & CS, Glenlivet 14 & 15 sherry matured all of which are Taiwan exclusive. Also the Kavalan concertmaster sherry. Looking forward to more videos like this.
The Illicit Still isn't a Taiwan exclusive, but you're right, we do get a lot of really cool exclusives here. I'm a HUGE fan of the Glenlivet CS bottlings, I've bought several bottles of both releases. I'll be reviewing them at some point.
@@Gwhisky i got my hands on some Glenlivet 13 and 15 sherry matured. Still trying to get for the 13 CS and 14 sherry. Looking forwards to your great reviews!
I enjoy your whiskey review. I find the drum beat in the background distracting and not complementary to good quality whiskey. When I am enjoying good whiskey I want appropriate music in the background so that nothing distracts me from the enjoyable smells and taste. Keep up the good work.
In the Chicago area, the regular 12 year old goes for around $35 while the Illicit is $55-$60. I've heard of people paying in different parts of the country anywhere from high $30s into the high $60s. A lot of variability. A $20 jump over the regular 12 seems a lot, but with the integrity presentation, the price seems reasonable as compared to other similarly presented 12 year olds.
To be honest, I think it's a justified bump in price, although it's not ideal. Where I live it's closer to $10 more expensive. But it tastes way more than $10 better. Delicious stuff. I just grabbed a new bottle myself today, actually!
Read some great reviews for this and was pretty skeptical. I’m mean, it’s $47 Glenlivet…can’t expect much. Well, it IS damn good. If it were at $70 I would still buy it. Very impressive. I might snatch another bottle or two before price gores up and quality goes down.
I'm not sure we'll see a dip in quality, as it's my understanding this is a limited edition release. Definitely one to pick up while you can. I'm glad you're a fan, too, it's solid stuff! I'm looking forward to the follow-up release "Licensed Dram." Cheers!
Just bought a bottle. In China it is required to label the artificial coloring. Unfortunately Illicit Still has it. Otherwise this is a fantastic dram!
@@Gwhisky Me too! I only start learning and drinking whisky about three months ago and your videos are my important educational resources. I am a Taiwanese who lives in Shanghai. Due to COVID I am not able to go back to TW for almost two years. Enjoy your time in TW, and keep up the good work!
This should become a permanent offering. I just picked up a bottle and it exceeded expectations. Truly fantastic. This could easily become a staple in my collection.
Totally agree. I'd love to see Glenlivet make that happen! 🥃
Love the straight to the point review. So tired of people giving long winded reviews with no actual value (or sharing their daily life stories). Nice to have quality / benchmark-able info. Thanks.
Glad to hear you enjoy the format. I appreciate the kind words, Jaeger! 🥃
My kinds of review, to the point and quite in depth at the same time! Subscribed!
Awesome, appreciate the kind words! And great username! 😉
You are SPOT ON!!!. This is my"Whisky of the year"! Just for the fact that Glenlivet gave a nod to us enthusiasts! It is just as you reviewed it. It's so enjoyable and compared to the core range 12 it's like Glenlivet is saying "how you like me now". I did the comparison back in June, got it in May of last year (release date earlier) and have loved the example Glenlivet set for the industry. Imagine, if you will, Lagavulin 16 at 48% or Macallan any age at 48%? The world would stop spinning and...... well not that bad but just imagine if this caught on.
Great review my friend..... imagine.
Not only is it refreshing and reassuring, it's totally unexpected! As much as we should reward new craft-oriented distilleries for an honest presentation, we should also show appreciation for the old guard when they opt to give us something more quality-oriented than their standard fare. More of this, please! 🥃
Thanks for this appealing review. It’s early 2022 and there’s still some available in my area. I will definitely be going and picking some up this week. I haven’t been disappointed by any of the Glenlivets I’ve had so far.
Thanks for watching. Hope you like this one! 🥃
Thanks a lot! Got some friends and family coming over next week, and I was looking for a good wine, whiskey, bourbon, and tequila to serve. Just snagged this bottle after watching the review!
Awesome! Enjoy! 🥃
With this one the key lies in not thinking this is the regular 12 amped up. Glenlivet can make a thousand different 12s from different casks, even with older ones in the mix, more or less sherry influence, European or Amercan oak, etc. Just like Laphroaig 10 cask strength is not "merely" the normal 40% abv. version bottled at cs but a whole different beast. Imho the 12 Illicit Stills was concocted using significantly higher quality casks. I'd even suggest they threw in some older whisky, that's where the added complexity, the longer and wood-richer finish comes into play for me. Great dram for a great price, and as you say good for beginners and advanced drinkers as well. Compared to the high proof Nadurras this one is a bargain and wonderfully balanced.
Yeah the consensus is that it's an amped up 12, but you're right that's probably not the case. As I mentioned in the review this has so many more layers and flavours in it. Absolute banger for the price too. Did NOT see that coming from Glenlivet. Cheers and thanks for commenting! 🥃
This stuff is everywhere now, I bought to bottles a month ago and now every store around has it. I will be picking up some more.
Strange, it's nowhere to be found in my market. The few shops that I have seen it in have tripled its original price. Luckily the Licensed Dram, which I prefer, is still around for a good price. Cheers! 🥃
@@Gwhisky I still haven't seen the Licensed Dram. I hope it shows up soon. Keep up the excellent reviews. Thanks a lot.
GREAT CONTENT ! Thanks for the details . Just bought a bottle . Cheers !
Glad you enjoy it! Thanks for watching. Enjoy the bottle, Joseph! 🥃
G, love the "Asian star fruit" reference! LOL! Most people probably don't know what you just said.
As you know, I am a huge Kavalan fan; so by that, you probably know my taste preference. I have never gotten into Glenlivet. I've receive many bottles in the past as gifts. Since I am also turned off big time by Lagavulin, would you say that my taste preference sits in the Rich-hi and Smoke-medium range?
What do you think about Aberfeldy?
Hah I don't know about rich-hi smoke-medium. Not sure I've ever heard those terms before. Are you not a fan of peat in general or you occasionally dabble?
Aberfeldy is very neutered. Not a brand I buy, typically. Cheers Jack!
@@Gwhisky , there is a "graph" ("Cartesian plane" in math lingo) for beginners like me that plots whiskeys along two perpendicular axes based on rich-light (X-axis) and smoky-delicate (Y-axis).
So, for example, whiskeys I like tend to fall in the middle of this graph, a little to the right (rich end); the Balvenie Double Wood, Oban 14, Macallan 15, Arran 14, Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or.
Lagavulin, Talisker, Laphroaig are all in the upper right corner of this graph (rich and smokey). Glenlivet and Glenfiddich are both way down on the bottom part of this graph (delicate).
In terms of peatiness, I am not a fan. I can appreciate it, but it's not for me (like blues music; I can appreciate it, but I much, much prefer jazz). My palate picks it up as "mediciny". My neighbor got me a bottle of Lagavulin for Christmas (also from Costco!) a couple of years ago. It's still sitting there.
As you said...the regular 12 turned up to 11...a really great dram, got a few dops left in my bottle. I have great expectations for the next in line of this series.
Agree. If they REALLY want to take the flavours back to early Glenlivet, they might just give us a peated one, as most distilleries used to use peat. Wishful thinking...
@@Gwhisky That would be nice👍🥂
Glenlivet 18 now at 40%? We’ve been betrayed! 😥 Well, at least we still have the classic 12yo and I can’t wait to try the new 12!
Hey Geoff! The new one, Licensed Dram is on sale in our neck of the woods now so we're gonna do a triple comparison with the standard 12 and the Illicit Still in our whisky group. Has it arrived in Taiwan and if so can we expect a comparison by you anytime soon?
Unfortunately I haven't seen it out here yet. A lot of new releases take their sweet time making it to Taiwan, so it may be a while yet. Rest assured I'll review it and at some point compare the whole series in a shootout! Cheers!
Great to find another Jeff/Geoff in the wild Whisky world. Solid dram and like you said it is Glenlivet turned up. Around £45 rrp in the UK but falls to £35 on offer which is decent value. Nice review and have subscribed for more 🥃👍
Yeah this one is great bang for buck! Cool channel and great name btw. Just subscribed! 🥃
@@Gwhisky Thank you mate. Far from as polished as your reviews mate. Cheers
More polished? Maybe, maybe not. But to your credit, my channel doesn't have any space-faring moustaches. 😉
Can anyone tell me the difference between this and the 12 limited edition Glenlivet please ?
Which limited edition Glenlivet 12? There are many.
gotta say I kind of was really pleasantly by this even if for me the taste and finish weren't on par to the nose ....that nose though...amazing!
If you weren't taken with this, you should try the Licensed Dram. A step up from this one with a much more accessible profile. 🥃
@@Gwhisky oh, I was taken with it overall even if I'd probably say 86.5 rather than 88! - I meant "pleasantly surprised" but forgot the second word! Just that the nose was the best thing :)
I love sherry bottles exclusive to taiwan. Theres almost no review videos out there for the likes of Glenlivet 13 & CS, Glenlivet 14 & 15 sherry matured all of which are Taiwan exclusive. Also the Kavalan concertmaster sherry. Looking forward to more videos like this.
The Illicit Still isn't a Taiwan exclusive, but you're right, we do get a lot of really cool exclusives here. I'm a HUGE fan of the Glenlivet CS bottlings, I've bought several bottles of both releases. I'll be reviewing them at some point.
@@Gwhisky i got my hands on some Glenlivet 13 and 15 sherry matured. Still trying to get for the 13 CS and 14 sherry. Looking forwards to your great reviews!
I enjoy your whiskey review. I find the drum beat in the background distracting and not complementary to good quality whiskey. When I am enjoying good whiskey I want appropriate music in the background so that nothing distracts me from the enjoyable smells and taste. Keep up the good work.
In the Chicago area, the regular 12 year old goes for around $35 while the Illicit is $55-$60. I've heard of people paying in different parts of the country anywhere from high $30s into the high $60s. A lot of variability. A $20 jump over the regular 12 seems a lot, but with the integrity presentation, the price seems reasonable as compared to other similarly presented 12 year olds.
To be honest, I think it's a justified bump in price, although it's not ideal. Where I live it's closer to $10 more expensive. But it tastes way more than $10 better. Delicious stuff. I just grabbed a new bottle myself today, actually!
@@Gwhisky Good to hear. Thanks!
Read some great reviews for this and was pretty skeptical. I’m mean, it’s $47 Glenlivet…can’t expect much. Well, it IS damn good. If it were at $70 I would still buy it. Very impressive. I might snatch another bottle or two before price gores up and quality goes down.
I'm not sure we'll see a dip in quality, as it's my understanding this is a limited edition release. Definitely one to pick up while you can. I'm glad you're a fan, too, it's solid stuff! I'm looking forward to the follow-up release "Licensed Dram." Cheers!
@@Gwhisky Thanks, I missed that somehow. Says it right on the bottle. Hopefully they’ll keep something nice in this price range going forward.
What's the difference between this and the Licensed Dram?
Couldn't tell you. Hasn't made its way to my market yet. I know that one is also 48%, though. Looking forward to trying it!
@@Gwhisky I know that the Licensed Dram came out like a month ago and the Illicit Still came last year. So I assume the two are pretty similar.
@@CharlesOffdensen They're part of a series of 3 craft-oriented releases, so I'm already a fan in concept!
Excellent review,cheers from Canada.And subscribed..?
Glad you liked it! Cheers right back from a fellow Canadian! 🇨🇦
Great review, I am adding up to your subscribers number
Awesome! Thanks for the support and the kind words! 🙏
Great value for $40.
Just bought a bottle. In China it is required to label the artificial coloring. Unfortunately Illicit Still has it. Otherwise this is a fantastic dram!
Looking forward to trying the Licensed Dram. It came out a week or two ago. Can't wait for it to come to Asia!
@@Gwhisky Me too! I only start learning and drinking whisky about three months ago and your videos are my important educational resources. I am a Taiwanese who lives in Shanghai. Due to COVID I am not able to go back to TW for almost two years. Enjoy your time in TW, and keep up the good work!
Non chill filtered which is great but isn't natural colour annoyingly
Thank you for the review! Could you please remove the horrible background music?
Whisky reviewers say the most random things, this is basically astrology