In the 1950s and 1960s, Bill Smith Grant—grandson of The Glenlivet’s founder—set out to establish the brand as a single malt scotch in the United States. His efforts, following the end of Prohibition and World War II, made The Glenlivet one of the first scotch whisky brands with a strong international presence.
Today, The Glenlivet remains one of the most beloved scotch whisky brands in the USA. Its core range, known as The Glenlivet Heritage Collection, showcases the qualities that define the distillery, with each expression offering something unique. This guide delves into The Glenlivet Heritage Collection—its production, tasting notes, and pricing—to help you find the perfect dram.
The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve
BUY NOW: $29
We are starting things off with The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve, a tribute to the distillery’s founder, George Smith.
Smith was an innovator who approached cask selection with complete freedom. Rather than using age statements, he chose casks of varying ages based purely on their flavor profile, ensuring each bottling met his vision for The Glenlivet.
In tribute to this method, The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve is a no-age-statement (NAS) expression married together from a selection of both traditional oak and American first-fill oak casks.
Bottled at 40% ABV, this whisky is a fantastic introduction to The Glenlivet’s signature fruity, floral, and smooth character. The nose serves notes of citrus fruits and sweet oranges, followed by oranges, pear, and toffee apples on the palate, culminating in a creamy finish.
The use of variously aged casks allows The Glenlivet’s whisky makers to explore and alter the vatting to ensure a consistent and approachable profile.
The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve
BUY NOW: $30
A rum-finished whisky is quite unusual to see in a distillery’s core offerings, especially one as well-known as The Glenlivet. However, I suppose that speaks to the brand’s confidence in this expression.
The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve (also NAS) contains whisky that has been selectively finished in rum casks. These specially selected casks impart distinctive notes of tropical fruit and toffee, flavors typical of a well-made rum.
Billed by the brand as “Whisky and Summer”, The Glenlivet Caribbean Reserve is bold, smooth, and fruity with a tropical twist. Expect pears, apples, ripe bananas, and warm-climate fruit, which are perfect to enjoy on ice on a hot summer’s day. The addition of a finishing cask makes this a slight step up in terms of complexity. If you are a rum fan, you are in for a treat.
The Glenlivet Captain’s Reserve
BUY NOW: $60
The next offering, The Glenlivet Captain’s Reserve, is another tribute to an important figure in the distillery’s history: Captain Bill Smith Grant, whose pioneering efforts in the 1950s and 60s made The Glenlivet a household name, and not just in the UK.
The whisky is matured in a combination of bourbon and sherry casks. Following this, a portion of the whisky is selectively finished in ex-cognac casks. This triple cask combination makes for a rich and complex dram that delivers fruit, honey, apricot jam, cinnamon, and licorice on the nose. The palate is rich with syrup, mandarins, poached pairs, and chocolate raisins.
Much like Captain Bill Smith Grant’s pioneering vision, this whisky embraces exploration—combining traditional Speyside character with an innovative cask finish. Once again, this is a step up in terms of complexity, thanks to the cask program, perfect for scotch whisky fans who want something a little different.
The Glenlivet 12 Year Old Double Oak
BUY NOW: $40
Now, we move on to the age statements. The Glenlivet 12 Year Old is the youngest age-statement whisky in the brand’s Heritage Collection and has been a staple of The Glenlivet for decades. It is widely considered to be The Glenlivet’s most popular expression, and for good reason.
The whisky itself is matured first in European oak, before spending time in American oak casks. The result is a delicately balanced single malt that offers notes of fruit, cereal, and pineapple followed by a long and smooth finish.
A classic, and one that should be on the bar of any Speyside scotch whisky fan — The Glenlivet 12 Year Old is the quintessential expression from the distillery.
The Glenlivet 15 Year Old French Oak Reserve
BUY NOW: $70
We move on now to The Glenlivet 15 Year Old, another whisky that undergoes selective maturation. This time, in French Limousin oak from France’s Dordogne region. Limousin oak, often used to mature cognac, has a low density, allowing the whisky to seep into the wood and take on notes of spice, almond, nuts, and fruits.
According to The Glenlivet, the brand was one of the first in the world to use French oak in whisky maturation. Since then, many other distilleries have followed suit, including Bruichladdich and The Balvenie.
French oak casks are prized for the nutty, spicy, and tannic notes that they bring to a whisky. If that sounds like something you might enjoy, buy a bottle and keep it on hand.
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old
BUY NOW: $112
Last but certainly not least, we have The Glenlivet 18 Year Old. The oldest whisky in The Glenlivet’s Heritage Collection, the 18 Year Old is full-bodied, complex, yet effortlessly drinkable.
The whisky itself is matured by Master Distiller Alan Winchester in a combination of first and second-fill American oak, and ex-sherry casks before being married together and bottled at 40% ABV. The resulting single malt scotch draws you in with aromas of fruit and toffee, and the palate bursts with orange, raisins, and winter spice.
According to The Glenlivet, “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 and deserves pride of place in your cabinet… perhaps to be held back for a fitting occasion?”
The Glenlivet 18 Year Old is perfect for a seasoned scotch drinker looking for an affordable, reliable, yet complex high-aged whisky.
