The Glenlivet expanded its successful Nàdurra line with a 48% Oloroso sherry matured expression, after being limited for the past eight years to one expression aged 16 years in first fill ex-bourbon casks. The original Nàdurra is a wonderful whisky at cask strength, with varying percentages of ABV (falling above 54% and below 58%).
The Nàdurra Oloroso is NAS, and is not as complex as the bourbon Nàdurra, probably due to its age, although it doesn’t feel overly young.
The local whisky community in Israel isn’t huge and this is a small country, yet I have not yet met Eliyau Shiffman in person. He is, however a Facebook friend, and has recently returned with a bottle of the Nàdurra Oloroso and was kind enough to share a sample of this with me. So thank you, Eliyau!
The Glenlivet Nàdurra Oloroso Batch OLO314 (48%, NCF, NC)
Color: Deep amber/light bronze with thin long legs.
Nose: Balsamic vinegar, demerara sugar, fresh diced plums, coconut, raisins and sweet spices with a hint of licorice, malt, clove in a Christmas cake.
Taste: Smooth with a sweet beginning giving way to notes of dry wine, bittersweet chocolate and dark spices (pepper, cloves and allspice) with a bitter undertone.
Linger: A warming on the roof of the mouth leaving a tangy linger behind. Raisins and spices come through with pepper, allspice and sage.
The whisky is good, as one would expect from The Glenlivet. However, I don’t see this expression making its way into the pantheon of great sherry bombs as it lacks depth. I’ll reserve my final opinion, though, to the full cask strength release which should follow this travel retail exclusive in the fall of 2014.