Undoubtedly whisky is as sensational as it is subjective,
and it’s always a genuine thrill to hear the sensory journeys of others; their thoughts and tasting notes on the drams that I’ve grown to love over the years or have yet to be acquainted with.

One of the highlights for me personally when hosting tasting
events, be that group or our Twitter trending Tweet Tastings, is hearing the fresh,
un-blinkered, un-over analysed feedback and descriptors from those just
starting out on their whisky journeys.





Although sometimes slightly hesitant to begin with, fearing
that when they reveal what they’ve uncovered and discovered will sound strange
or different to the notes of fellow tasters, those new to such events are always reassured when you tell them plain and simply, “there is
no right or wrong answer” and that they should always trust and believe in their
own senses and initial instincts.


Whisky is indeed subjective and we all pick up different
things, be that due to differences and sensitivities in how we all nose and
taste, or more emotive reasons such as memories of holidays or pick and mix
sweet preferences as a child.


Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be newbies again,
blinded and none the wiser about a whisky’s age or cask constituents, as we
pour and explore it for the first time, and really put our senses to an
untainted test? Well thanks to The Glenlivet we can!

Following on from their tantalising, teasing and very tropical
limited Alpha bottling in 2013, The Glenlivet has released another mysterious
blank, black, bottling, with practically no printed information on the bottle
or its packaging apart for its ABV of 48%, and of course its name, The
Glenlivet Cipher.

Shrouded in mystery, this latest release from the multi-ward
winning Speyside distillery, has been launched to push the boundaries of
flavour exploration, and invites whisky enthusiasts to embark on a flavour
journey to decode the secret tasting notes of The Glenlivet Cipher.

In addition to being invited to uncover and uncrack the code
of the official tasting notes by Glenlivet’s Master Distiller Alan Winchester
via cipher.theglenlivet.com whisky enthusiasts will also be able to input their
tasting notes and find out how close they have come to cracking The Glenlivet
Cipher.

We were recently lucky enough to be able to sample this new
mysterious drop of maltage from The Glenlivet, and here’s what we managed to
discover and decipher:

The nose: kicks off with a feisty, fruity fiesta of sauternes
poached pears, grilled pineapple rings, pink lady apples and sumptuous demerara
rum soaked raisins.

Stem ginger, vanilla fudge, pear drops and a Cadbury’s
crunchie bar, make for the next set of nasal niceties, along with heather honey
and wisps of botanically bodacious anise, chamomile, juniper and wild time.

Cinnamon sticks, mixed citrus peel, blackberries, wood spice
and ground-ettes of white pepper, then help to provide a bounty of balance,
along with something that can only be described as florally musk-esque.

The palate: kicks off with a decadently delicious dessert
trolley of pineapple upside down sponge, Jamaica ginger cake and chocolate
salted caramel brownies, all served with a good drenching of Madagascan vanilla
custard.

The dessert theme continues, but heading in more of the direction
of your five a day, with spiced baked apples stuffed with blackberries, grilled
peaches, stewed prunes and more of those sauternes poached pears.

Orange peel, smoked walnuts, anise, roaring wood spice and oodles
of opulent charred oak, make for the final sprinkling of palatable pleasures
along with a feisty floral freshness.

In addition to our tasting notes, we also took the challenge
of trying to crack Alan Winchesters official tasting notes via The Glenlivet
website, but only managed a pityfull score of 60%. If you’re lucky enough to
grab a bottle of this rather gutsy, giving and lively livet, head to cipher.theglenlivet.com
and see if you can decipher the latest release from The Glenlivet.



Can you decipher The Glenlivet Cipher?

#TheGlenlivetCipher